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Stay Strong – The Daily, June 2, 2020

The beauty of Western Australia

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

On June 2nd, 1865, the American Civil War ended. It spanned four years and cost 620,000 lives by the time it was over. Now 155 years later we still haven’t found the ability to coexist on a planet where there truly can be no sides. What we do affects every other life around us. A spirit of cooperation would go a long way to healing all ills, and an attitude of acceptance would foster peace.

It seems we have a long way to go.

Fly Me to the Moon – Adding to the interesting energy of the moment, the eclipse of the moon on June 5th should stir up some more issues. It will be in the sign of Sagittarius which is associated with expansive thinking and bigger plans. Communication is the big key this month. With Venus in retrograde and squaring to Mars, things could get fiery and issues can be brought to the surface. As with all things, it is best to think before you talk and not act impulsively.

It is going to be a challenging year and it isn’t over yet, so ride with it and get to the other side as best you can. There will be better times ahead.

Thought of the Day – Change is uncomfortable even when it is obvious that change is needed. Find familiar comforts today that give you a sense of security and a feeling that everything is going to be okay. Listen to music, take a long walk in nature, or read a good book. It’s necessary to be active in the world but sometimes you need to retreat for a little while in order to take care of yourself. It’s important and right now even more so.

Be well and stay safe.

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” 
― Maya Angelou

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt

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A New Month – The Daily, June 1, 2020

A new day of discovery ahead, or seeing the same thing you saw yesterday. It’s a choice

“I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” 
― Marilyn Monroe

Every morning when we wake up, we bring to the day the energy of all of the days that have already been. We aren’t compelled to do that, it is just a routine and convenient way to live. If something upset us yesterday then we can know how we should feel today. Otherwise the canvas would be blank and we would have to fill it anew.

Yesterday’s grievances become today’s complaints. We need to remember who we are upset with, who wronged us and how we need to feel about everything. Instead of looking with fresh eyes and a clean slate, we allow the days that are already dead and gone to be born again in a day that is fresh and could be anything we want it to be. We carry the carcasses of yesterday and make today the same graveyard we have already been through. Why find a new vibration when the old pattern is so easy to fall into?

We step into old emotions and habits as easily as we put on our clothes in the morning. Like a record player with the needle firmly set in the grooves of the vinyl, we are predictable and our emotions are predetermined. Nothing unfolds spontaneously in the present. We know what we believe in, what we stand for and who we are.

At least that’s what we choose. Because in every moment there is a choice to think differently. Before every action there is a thought, and before anything becomes real it is abstract. Think in a new way and create a different life. Think the way you thought yesterday and today will be the same.

Letting Go – It’s a new month and a good time to let go of some things. Get a new toothbrush. Wash or clean something that you haven’t cleaned in a long time. Look around and see what is in your space that doesn’t bring you joy, and then let it go somewhere else. Empty space is more inviting than things that don’t vibrate with an energy of love.

Enjoy the beginning of June.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” 
― Marilyn Monroe

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Seeking Something – The Daily, May 31, 2020

Always look up. There are miracles everywhere waiting to unfold

“What you seek is seeking you.” 
― Mawlana Jalal-al-Din Rumi

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” 
― Barack Obama

It doesn’t take much to ignite an inferno when tensions are running high. At some point the fire eventually burns itself out, but the damage remains long after. It is in these moments of frustration that we can learn compassion, patience and acceptance. This strange energy that has enfolded our world isn’t finished yet, so it is important to go within and be strong in expressing what you believe in.

No Good News – There are days where it seems like nothing good is happening. Of course, that isn’t true, but when it feels that way it is best to push back and limit your exposure to mainstream media. Sensationalism sells, and it fans the flames. By not participating in the negative swirl of energy you can protect yourself and remain in a positive frame of mind. It is much easier to create the life you want when you aren’t focused on the negative that isn’t a direct part of your existence. If the negative does surround you, then find solace in going within. Nothing can enter that space without your invitation.

Thought of the Day – Take ten minutes and meditate today. It will change your perception and can make a big difference in how you feel. It doesn’t need to be a big deal, just ten minutes where you close your eyes and pay attention to your breath. Notice how quickly the mind wanders and continue to bring it back to focusing on the breath. It is a great way to slow down and find a way to create harmony in your body.

The breath is the anchor to everything that is good and peaceful. Enjoy a self-centred day.

“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” 
― Thich Nhat Hanh

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Standing for Something – The Daily, May 30, 2020

A flag without a breeze just isn’t the same

“Patriotism is, fundamentally, a conviction that a particular country is the best in the world because you were born in it….” 
― George Bernard Shaw

“You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.” 
― Malcolm X

Do you ever find yourself defending something because you feel that you must? If, for example, you saw an event occur that disturbed you deeply, but it happened in your neighbourhood, or in your family, would you stand against it or simply shake your head and say nothing?

There’s that saying, if you don’t stand for something you fall for anything. Where there is injustice there needs to be understanding, education and patience. Meeting violence with violence doesn’t seem to be the solution.

Staying connected to the moment and not allowing yourself to be swept up in emotion and to become reactive is important. The heat of the moment leads to pain and suffering that may never have been intended. Sometimes taking a deep breath and becoming aware of the body is enough to keep you grounded and able to operate from a position of strength. When everyone around you is losing their mind, it’s important to keep yours.

Battle Lines Drawn – On this day in 1431, 19-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. She played a role in France successfully taking back its land during The Hundred Years’ War from the British, even though the battle continued until 1453. Inspired by messages she said she received from three angels, she was able to rally a country around her and win several battles before being captured and eventually burned. It’s a fascinating story and even more so because of her young age and the fact that she was able to do so much, fuelled by what had to be divine intervention.

It just goes to show that you never know who is going to step up and become a hero, or a villain depending on your viewpoint.

Thought of the Day – Spend some time listening to the little annoying voice in your head, the one that tells you that you should be exercising or eating better or making that phone call. We ask for inspiration all of the time, but when intuition speaks to us we ignore it if the message isn’t what we want to hear. Refrain from telling others what to do when you don’t even listen to yourself.

Project kindness today. That energy is needed right now. Enjoy yourself and find peace.

“Intuition is seeing with the soul.” 
― Dean Koontz

“Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life.” 
― Paulo Coelho

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Divine Inspiration – The Daily, May 29, 2020

Walk the path that unveils itself to you

“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.” 
― Henry Miller

“For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 
― St. Francis of Assisi

There are moments of clarity that occasionally come through the noise of daily life, and paying attention to these and acting on them can be defining moments. How many times did an idea seem to come to you from nowhere, and it was interesting and something that you felt you could do, and then you never acted on it? When we are fortunate to get these moments of divine inspiration, having enough trust to do something about it could mean the difference between living your purpose or regretting what could have been.

Scaling Mount Everest – At 11:30 a.m. 67 years ago today on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to conquer Mount Everest. It was an event that many thought was impossible, and it has inspired thousands of others to attempt it themselves. It’s estimated that more than 300 have died trying to climb the unforgiving terrain.

Why do people want to do it? Most of them say “because it is there.” If the desire is strong enough in you, it must be put into action.

Trust Yourself – There is a lot of interesting energy in the world right now, so if you have been feeling a little emotional or angry for no reason, you aren’t alone. It’s a good time to tune into your lower three chakras – the root, sacral and solar plexus – and send healing thoughts to the area from just above your belly button down to the tailbone. With everything that is going on, our need to feel secure and safe is being challenged. It’s okay not to feel okay right now so be patient with yourself and others. It’s just the energy of 2020 and it will pass.

Thought of the Day – Pay attention to hunches and intuition right now. It could lead you exactly in the direction you need to go. Just remember – sometimes where you need to go isn’t always where you would like to be, but it is necessary for growth and for fulfilling your purpose. Trust in the inner wisdom that is always guiding you.

Have a productive, soothing day.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” 
― Aristotle

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Finding a Rhythm – The Daily, May 28, 2020

Good luck or bad luck – it’s all in the eye of the beholder

“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances. ” 
― Maya Angelou

“I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of beauty.” 
― Edgar Allan Poe

Life has a cyclical nature and a rhythm that is undeniable. Seasons change, life forms come and go, and history tends to repeat itself. We can learn from history but at the same time we seem doomed to repeat it. It’s okay. For most of us we are going through it for the first time.

Memories – The brain is an amazing instrument. The way that memories are formed is both interesting and surprising. If you have ever gone through a traumatic event, then this story from Science Daily will intrigue you. From the article: “A woman walking down the street hears a bang. Several moments later she discovers her boyfriend, who had been walking ahead of her, has been shot. A month later, the woman checks into the emergency room. The noises made by garbage trucks, she says, are causing panic attacks. Her brain had formed a deep, lasting connection between loud sounds and the devastating sight she witnessed.”

If you or someone you know acts irrationally to certain stimuli, this explains a great deal. We should never judge another person because we truly can never know what experiences they have had that altered the way they developed.

Sad Day – The death toll in the United States from Covid-19 surpassed 100,000 people yesterday. It is such a staggering number that it is difficult to process. Let’s hope that the world learns valuable lessons from this pandemic and that life on the other side is kinder, more understanding, and a gentler place to be.

Tell someone close to you what they mean to you today. We don’t always get another opportunity.

Thought of the Day – Although some days can be more challenging than others, trust that every experience you have is an opportunity to learn and to grow. Until the day we leave this physical plane, we are fortunate to have many chances to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. Cherish every moment. Enjoy a peaceful, satisfying day.

“Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it.” 
― Voltaire

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Taking a Step Forward – The Daily, May 27, 2020

Nothing lasts forever

“Never say goodbye because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.” 
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Things feel like they are trying to get back to normal with the return of summer and businesses starting to open up and travel resuming. There are lots of new guidelines and rules to deal with and everything that you want to do might not be available, but still there is a definite movement towards getting back to where we were.

Health officials are concerned, and rightly so, but there is no way that people are going to stay confined forever. Too much is at stake economically and psychologically too. We were worried how the children were going to handle the lockdown, but it appears that the stress is more prevalent in adults.

It’s at the point where many people are taking precautions but not at the expense of freedom. The new attitude seems to be that if they get the virus, they will deal with it. At some point it might be the most viable attitude there is.

Get yourself as healthy as you are able and pay attention to what you are eating. This is a great time to lose some weight, minimize indulgences, and exercise more. It’s not a guarantee against getting sick, but it sure won’t hurt.

Mercury and the Crab – Mercury moves into the sign of Cancer tomorrow, and it’s an interesting combination. Mercury rules our thoughts and ideas and the way we communicate with others, and Cancer is all about feelings. It’s a good time to think about and discuss what makes us feel most vulnerable. This helps us to find a greater understanding of ourselves and can strengthen relationships.

In other words, get comfortable with your emotions and feel safe enough to share them with others. Communication is a major focus right now with the sun in Gemini.

Big Decisions – What has changed in your life this year? Big companies are having to change the way they operate to respond to the changing trends in consumerism. This from CNN about pandemic shopping: “The early evidence suggests the shift to online buying is accelerating, consumers are buying more products for their health and home, and they are becoming increasingly cost conscious while choosing to save more.”

Big companies like Proctor and Gamble and Nestlé are in a scramble to reposition brands and try to figure out what the market is doing. The companies who can adapt the quickest are going to be in a strong position to cash in. “Nestle’s e-commerce sales globally shot up 30% in the first three months of the year, while Proctor & Gamble reported 35% growth in online sales over the same period.”

It’s the new world of 2020. We depend on the internet now more than ever before.

Thought of the Day – Holding on to the way things have always been and demanding them to stay that way is a frustrating way to live. Everything about the world around us is in constant change, and we change continuously too. It just doesn’t feel comfortable sometimes to learn to go with the flow. By learning to let go, we can stay alert to new opportunities. They might even be better than the ones we were clinging to so tightly.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.” 
― Marilyn Monroe

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Self-Expression – The Daily, May 26, 2020

Creation and expression go hand in hand. What have you created lately?

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” 
― George Bernard Shaw

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” 
― Albert Einstein

Take a timeout and see what you would like to do that would inspire you. Perhaps you would like to write a play or a novel, or explore painting, or even just do some doodling. Whatever strikes your fancy, take some time and indulge yourself. You deserve it.

There have been studies about the benefits of simple doodling, and the results were interesting to say the least. From Harvard Health: “In 2009, psychologist Jackie Andrade asked 40 people to monitor a 2-½ minute dull and rambling voice mail message. Half of the group doodled while they did this (they shaded in a shape), and the other half did not. They were not aware that their memories would be tested after the call. Surprisingly, when both groups were asked to recall details from the call, those that doodled were better at paying attention to the message and recalling the details. They recalled 29% more information!”

Goes to show you that sometimes the simplest things can get big results.

Back to Normal? – It seems like forever since the lockdown started even though it was just 11 weeks ago, on March 9th, that Italy closed everything down. Now they are trying to get back to some sense of normalcy. From this CBC article, “Italy Grapples with a New Rhythm as it Emerges From 2-Month Lockdown“, we get a sense of how tentative the citizens are and how it may take some time to find a new comfort zone. In a country where going to restaurants and having long leisurely dinners and wine with friends are a nightly occurrence, it must feel very strange to adjust.

It will take some time for all of us to figure this out.

Thought of the Day – It always feels good to help others. Keep your eyes open and see if there is an opportunity to say a kind word or give a helping hand. Sometimes the smallest gestures have more meaning than you will ever know.

Enjoy a peaceful, wonderful day.

“Peace begins with a smile..” 
― Mother Teresa

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What is My Purpose? – The Daily, May 25, 2020

Live to your fullest expression. Don’t ever hold back

“One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don’t throw it away.” 
― Stephen Hawking

Life is a purpose unto itself. We are the only creatures on this planet who worry about such things. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is there something I am supposed to be doing? None of these questions enter the minds of ants, dolphins or trees. They come into existence, fulfill themselves as what they are, and then leave without much ado.

We should be so spiritually evolved.

Life is to be lived. Maybe you will reproduce, maybe not. Perhaps you will assist others in fulfilling their lives in a meaningful way, and maybe you will hurt them instead. We arrive quite innocently and helpless and it takes a great deal of time and nurturing to achieve our full-grown potential. Some may never get there, and that’s okay too.

If there is one simple thing to remember as you move through life, it is not to inflict harm on others. Other than that, just do what feels good and brings you joy. Live while you are alive.

Useful Things – Sometimes you come across things that are so useful that you want to share them with others. This Critical Thinking Cheatsheet from Wabisabi is one of those things. It presents a series of questions designed to get you to find clarity before starting a new project, or making big decisions, or even writing a play or a novel. It’s printable and there are no limits for its use. Sometimes you just need to sharpen your focus in order to move forward with purpose.

Thought of the Day – Sometimes being happy is good enough. If you can be happy for no particular reason, that’s even better. Everything we think we want or hope to gain in life all comes back to one single desire – the need to be happy. Get there without going anywhere and you will have arrived at a place of pure ecstasy.

Enjoy a special day.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” 
― Eleanor Roosevelt

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Colours Matter – The Daily, May 24, 2020

How boring would life be if everything was the same colour

“I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally. ” 
― W.C. Fields

“Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.” 
― Muhammad Ali

In a week that saw presidential hopeful Joe Biden use the words “you ain’t black”, Canada launch a media campaign to curb violence that is being directed towards people of Asian descent, and racist incidents directed against Africans in China, all of the ugliness that has always been there seems to be showing itself all at once.

It hurts to live in a world where appearance is still the most important thing for so many. It would be nice to think that with all of the technological advancements we have made that we could catch up with our morals and values too. Judging others solely based on the colour of their skin has never made sense, nor will it.

From Matthew 7:1-3 King James Version: “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

The Bible is about 2700 years old; the King James Version was written more than 400 years ago. You’d think we would have learned something by now.

Food for Thought – If you ever wondered why it seems more difficult to concentrate in the afternoon, it could be something you ate. From The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a research study showed that ” eating just one meal high in saturated fat can hinder our ability to concentrate.” They studied how 51 women performed on an attention test after eating either a meal high in saturated fat or the same meal made with sunflower oil, which is high in unsaturated fat. Their performance was worse after eating the high-saturated-fat meal than after the meal containing a healthier fat. This could signal a link between fatty food and the brain. Might want to skip the hamburger and fries next time.

Thought of the Moment – If you are a happy person, it is almost impossible to find fault with anything or anyone. The ability to find compassion is much easier when you are filled with joy. Spreading misery to others is selfish and self-indulgent. Choose to share love instead, because underneath everything that is all that is real.

“The ego seeks to divide and separate.  Spirit seeks to unify and heal.”  
― A Course in Miracles