Positivity
Being positive, staying positive is really challenging. Yet, if we allow ourselves to entertain negativity we become depressed and not able to function at our highest potential. Living can become unbearably stressful. Negativity denies the ability to enjoy pleasurable experiences, to feel gratitude and happiness.
Learning to achieve and maintain a positive demeanor requires more than meditation, prayer and positive affirmations. It demands action. We must act to make changes, take action to stop doing whatever it is that is causing the stress.
“To act wisely when the time for action comes, to wait patiently when it is time for repose, put man in accord with the tides. Ignorance of this law results in periods of unreasoning enthusiasm on the one hand, and depression on the other.” ~Helena Blavatsky
I like the following quote from Gore Vidal, for, in my mind, I perceive ‘decadent’ as ‘negative’.
“As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests.”
In her book, The Journey with the Master, Eva Bell Werber writes in the section ‘BE POSITIVE’, “Man often thinks that it is he, himself, that is good and generous, not knowing or caring that it is the Great Spirit of all good which is back of his acts. Then he fluctuates from day to day, and it is easy for him to change from good to evil if it suits his purpose best. He feels that the power is his, and his alone, to determine his actions.”
Maintaining a positive attitude, a positive outlook, has so many benefits; contributing significantly to good health, general contentment, peace of mind, and joyful living.
The primary action required is aligning the indwelling spirit of man with the Great Spirit of pure Love and Positivity. It is indeed hard work. Work which holds mighty rewards beyond our imagining.
I invite you this week to keep the positive energy flowing!
Integrity
In The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz lists being impeccable with your word as one of the four.
Honesty and integrity are values we cherish and strive to cultivate within ourselves and instill in our children.
Building a reputation of truthfulness is not as easy as it may sound. Telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, is not always in our best interest. There are things that are better left unsaid.
It takes courage to be honest about our feelings. It takes practice to learn how to communicate our truth with others in a loving, respectful way. It takes discipline to not call people names, to not hurl epithets and to stay focused on ‘I’ messages rather than, ‘you’, ‘you’, ‘you’.
In these tumultuous times it feels more important than ever to examine our impeccability.
“Be impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” ~Don Miguel Ruiz
“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” ~Bob Marley
“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” ~Douglas Adams
Wishing everyone a blessed week!
Fun
“We are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun.” ~William Glasser
My introduction to Dr. Glasser was through his book, Positive Addiction. I sporadically followed his work, especially in the area of applied ‘choice theory’. I very much like that he considers ‘fun’ a genetic need.
“Are we having fun yet?” My Mother’s favorite comment when an outing or other similar fun event wasn’t going too well. For a long time I mildly resented her comment until I reached a level of maturity that allowed me to enjoy her humorous aside.
I love having fun! “Fun is good,” says Dr. Seuss. Fun is not only good, it is a genetic need. It is as essential for positive living, relieving stress and staying grounded, balanced and healthy, as is prayer and meditation. Never underestimate the importance of having fun.
“Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.” ~Richard Branson
“If you go around being afraid, you’re never going to enjoy life. You have only one chance so you’ve got to have fun.” ~Lindsay Vaughn
I invite you into this week to have a lot of fun!
Nature
Worldwide celebrations of Earth Day took place Sunday April 22, reminding us of the importance of preserving wilderness and honoring nature.
“Wilderness is harder and harder to find these days on this beautiful planet, and we’re abusing our planet to the point of almost no return.” ~Betty White
Studies conclude that living in areas where we can see trees and watch birds can have a positive effect on our mental health. (https://phys.org) This growing body of evidence is showing what many of us already know…that experiencing natural environments can reduce stress levels, anxiety and depression.
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul,” ~John Muir
“There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.” ~Henry David Thoreau
Immersing myself in nature is healing and grounding. Mind-emptying meditation allows me to merge with the natural landscape. It is a wordless, thoughtless place that brings great refreshment to my spirit.
“There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in it’s roar; I love not Man less, but Nature more.” ~Lord Byron
As Spring blossoms into it’s fullness, it is a perfect moment to savor the gifts of nature.
Techno Dysfunction
“The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life” ~Bill Gates
I have been without phone, internet and wi-fi for eight days, having only the ability to text and make calls on my cell. (Thankfully!) There is a problem where I live with old delivery lines, and the situation has been going on for over a year. It has been tough. It has been frustrating. It has been very stressful!
With the gracious help of my webmaster, I have been able to keep a semblance of my business going. Without her efforts on my behalf, I’m not sure how big a ‘hit’ I would take.
I regularly subscribe to Gretchen Rubin’s quote: “Turn off your email; turn off your phone; disconnect from the internet; figure out a way to set limits so you can concentrate when you need to; and disengage when you need to. Technology is a good servant but a bad master.”
When I do all those things at the same time, it is a peaceful, renewing and rewarding experience. It helps slow me down and strengthens my connection with the natural world.
“Technology has forever changed the world we live in. We’re online, in one way or another, all day long. Our phones and computers have become reflections of our personalities, our interests, our identities. They hold much that is important to us.” ~James Comey
Gates and Comey are right. Technology fits easily into everyday life, and it does hold a great deal that is very important to us. I am discovering that it is quite a different experience to choose to disconnect versus being disconnected when I don’t want to be.
Sadly, the fix for my problem is most likely temporary, like the fixes of the past year or more, and I will be disconnected again not by choice.
“It is only when they go wrong that machines remind you how powerful they are.” ~Clive James
Candor
As defined by Merriam-Webster:
.. unreserved, honest, or sincere expression: FORTHRIGHTNESS
.. freedom from prejudice or malice: FAIRNESS
“Candor, related to the adjective candid, refers to straightforward honesty or frankness in speech or expression. The fact that it is frequently preceded by the adjective refreshing suggests that it is often unexpected, a shift from guarded or euphemistic language.” ~ Editors, Merriam-Webster
“All faults may be forgiven of him who has perfect candor.” ~Walt Whitman
“I have ventured to write more intimately about my personal life than is customary for a member of the Supreme Court, and with that candor comes a measure of vulnerability.” ~Sonia Sotomayor
“All leaders, male or female, innately possess feminine qualities like empathy, candor and vulnerability – the difference lies in which leaders choose to suppress those qualities, and which choose to leverage them as strengths.” ~John Gerzema
Rebirth
Spring is in full swing in my neighborhood. The sun’s warmth seeps into the earth (and into my old arthritic bones), awakening us all from winter slumber.
The tulips are blooming in celebration of the spring Holy Season. Fruit trees are budding with the promise of wonderful plums and pears. Vegetable beds patiently await to be spaded and planted.
Spiritually, emotionally and physically, it is a perfect season for our rebirth. Shedding the dark coldness of winter, we embrace movement toward the blooming of our authentic selves.
“There is a rebirth that goes on with us continuously as human beings. I don’t understand, personally, how you can be bored. I can understand how you can be depressed, but I just don’t understand boredom.” ~Dustin Hoffman
“Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.” ~Dalai Lama
Embrace the rebirth of spring!
March
The 1st Amendment right of people to peacefully assemble, to speak freely, to address or petition the government for redress of grievances.
America has a rich, and sometimes volatile, history of marching to redress inequality. Notable: the marches of the civil rights movement, protesting the Vietnam war, LBGT rights, and, the biggest march in US history, the one day Women’s March on Washington in January 2017 in which an estimated 4.2 million people gathered.
Saturday March 24, marks the first time that the youth of our Nation marched together in the Many Lives Matter protest.
I am mightily heartened about the future of my country when I hear these articulate, passionate young people demanding a change in the status quo of political lethargy.
I invite you all to read a letter in LET THE PUBLIC SPEAK section of Saturday’s Press Democrat, written by Peyton Krzyzek a student at Santa Rosa High School. It powerfully and poignantly captures the fear our young people endure everyday in an environment that should be providing them with the best education possible in a safe and secure manner.
Ironically, to me anyway, in the same issue on page A10, is an article about protecting classes with rocks. David Helsel, superintendent of the Blue Mountain School District in northeast Pennsylvania, has equipped each classroom with a five-gallon bucket of river rocks. This arsenal is described as ‘last ditch‘ option for students trapped and hiding under desks. Rather than being helpless targets of an automatic weapon in the hands of a crazed killer, these kids can fight back by standing up and throwing rocks at their assailant. Helsel said, “Obviously a rock against a gun isn’t a fair fight, but it is better than nothing.”
Perhaps we as a Nation should rethink our position on armaments. Give the Secret Service buckets of rocks to protect the President and Congress. Likewise our Police and Sheriffs departments throughout the country. And arm our military with tons of rocks instead of guns. Armored tanks could shoot rocks at the enemy, our Air Force could drop rock bombs, missiles could be armed with rock heads, not to mention a whole new era of rock(et) launchers.
It is ridiculous to imagine. Yet, this is considered a feasible, realistic way to protect our children in the classroom?
The young people behind the Many Lives Matter movement are becoming eligible to vote. Indeed, in some states where the voting age is 18, they will be going to the polls this year.
If these young adults sustain their passion, and I believe they will, change will come; lethargy and self-serving duplicity may no longer be the norm on Capitol Hill.
Vernal Equinox 2018
Spring begins with the Vernal Equinox on March 20. It is a time of rebirth and renewal in the Northern Hemisphere. Spirit and Matter, Heaven and Earth meet equally in this precious moment.
This year has an interesting twist, as Mercury goes retrograde on the 22nd, and remains there until April 15.
As you reflect on the past year, reviewing the harvest from the Fall Equinox of 2017, and noting the gifts of the Winter Solstice, my question is, “What are you planting in your spiritual garden this spring?”
As you sort and sift through the seeds you have accumulated, added some new varieties you hope will take root and grow into glorious bloom, take note of the retrograde. Don’t plant your crop prematurely. Patience is the greatest ally of the spiritual gardener.
“Behold, my friends, the spring is come, the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.”
~Chief Sitting Bull
Wishing you all many rich blessings of Spring.
Justice
The world feels more unjust than I could have ever imagined. The iconic image of Justice appears to be turning a blind eye to rampant injustice, rather than to judgment without partiality. It’s becoming increasingly harder to believe that justice will prevail.
The Wheel of Fortune in the Tarot succinctly expresses cycles of change; everything is dying, and everything is becoming simultaneously. What is signified by the Justice card is the balancing of this energy…perception without distortion. The capacity to view reality with objectivity.
In Jung and the Tarot Sallie Nichols writes, “The sword (in the Justice card) represents the golden power of discrimination which enables us to pierce through layers of confusion and false images to reveal a central truth.”
Justice assumes responsibility for weighing all sides of an issue before making a decision. I am finding this task increasingly challenging; working harder than ever to keep my sword sharp. Cutting through copious, dense layers of hyperbole and obfuscation quickly dulls the blade.
“There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” ~Charles de Montesquieu
Fair, responsible decision-making demands logical, rational, objective thinking. And the demand for spiritual discernment is of equal importance to the process.
“Until the great mass of the people be filled with the sense of responsibility for each others welfare, social justice can never be attained.” ~Helen Keller
As the dark forces continue to rise, it is of a greater necessity than ever before to engage spiritual discernment, compassionate sentiment and rational thinking into forceful allies of survival.
I invite you this week to sharpen your swords and hang tough.
Blessings to all!
