#grateful we all should be for something so 'spiritually nourishing'

[hexjulia]

i think i might be willing to pay money never to have to hear the word "nourishing" when someone is describing art again. that's a word for soup. unless the art in question is edible but imo only if i'm allowed to eat it and it's filling

[kiddotarot]

Thank you so much for the reading! I hope I wasn’t too late! I went blank as soon I went through your reading, I’m not sure of the reason though! But here is the feedback!

Emotions

Interestingly, you mention soulmate because I always tried to find wholeness in friendships. Well, that went bad haha but I think it correlates to your reading and taught me that I’m enough as I am and I don’t need someone to do things I can do myself. I initially did want my mother to create a beautiful environment for me but I’m very grateful for the environment she raised me in and for creating the person I am today. I do wish we cleared the misunderstandings and brought in a little more patience and empathy between us. This is SO true! I could never function without acceptance, but with recent introductions of rejections and failures, I’ve lost the emotional requirement for acceptance and administration.

Why are you here

This reminder was needed, thank you. I do feel responsible for incidents which logically speaking I wasn’t even involved in. Ah, I think I’m doing everything but that, I should make more efforts to connect to the divine and stop feeling and reacting to every occurrence.

Past life vibration

I don’t have a weak immunity now so I like to think it would be the former. Again intriguing because I was always attracted to the profession of healing and constantly asked to pursue it. Yes, I do neglect myself so I do need to nourish myself physically and mentally.

Communication issues

I’m not focusing on my spiritual side properly so I’m unable to accurately figure out a person but yes. People can’t fool me. Looking into their dark side, I do but I don’t use it against them. I don’t even let them know about it. I think as a result of my failed friendships, I found it necessary to analyse every person around me. But yes haha, I’ll stop it as soon as possible.

Love issues

Ah is this why I’m so repulsed by relationships? T_T But yes, I think I need no help in that department! I’m already on the way to completing myself.

Life path

My inner security is somewhat lacking so I’m glad you brought it to my notice. I do need to figure out what my inner resources are though. I’m also learning to detach myself from toxicity so the reminder popping up is also a good sign!

Past life Childhood

Self-image destroyed in childhood? This life, I did build it up but lost it again in my teenhood. I do need to fix that though.

Submitting to a powerful male… Is that the reason why I can’t stand men who try to ‘fix’ me? Past life trauma? Fortunately I have extremely good parents who wouldn’t let that happen so I think those problems do end in this life.

Mother karma

This explains why I’m so connected and protective of my mother in this life. I’ve experienced most of the lessons I’ve learned in life with my mother so I think that says something.

Healing

This. I did stop all my outlets to creativity because of certain events but I’ll start over again. Finding myself, I’m on the journey I hope.

Thank you so much again for your energy and time! I hope this review is satisfactory! If I’ve missed out on anything, please let me know!

I also have some questions I hope you don’t mind answering! If you don’t want to or can’t, please feel free to ignore it!

1) What did you mean by my parents not being there for me?

2) Are any curses or bad karma left over from my previous birth? (I would love to rectify them T_T)

3) Could this be my last birth since you mentioned practising detachment to become one with the divine?

First of all thank you so much for this long feedback its really going to help me to improve my practice. Now let get on question.

1. Every souls carried some wounds and bad experience related to childhood it also effect over current lifetime you can see a person and tell them they have a old soul which is more experienced like a child in a home is more mature and patience( mostly eldest child )than his parents and siblings then its and old soul our soul take birth to experience what missed and not complete desire it important to get let go and stay fullness in your heart and not to carry this experience in next birth.

2.Our karmas governed by saturan he is the real lord of our karma which we are going to experience in this lifetime and creating here your saturan sits in 10H and lord of 4H and 5H some parts its means karma related to family, property, childhood, romentic connection and work place your profession i think chiron( not sure ) is also there so your family can also a healing place for you .

3. Most of the people i read who are into spirituality and tarot , chart and other practice get it its the human life ultimate goal to do karma without any greed and get detached and build connection to Divine. You are lucky you are on right path .🫂

[anangelofheaven]

Sermon 15

It's a delightful weekend!

Before you say that every weekend is a delightful weekend when you're an angel, I would remind you that even angels weep. We do feel wrath. But it is righteous wrath, sympathetic sorrow, experienced at the behest of God.

Most of the time, you're right. Assured in our purpose, we are grateful to be instruments of the Lord. Each day I saunter into the Serpent's Tavern and swing up onto the dance pole, I praise God for giving me a life of bringing pleasure to others.

But it was especially so this weekend. The Feast of Indulgence was so splendid and pleasant, it reminded me of Romans 14:17-19:

"17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

Put plainly, it says that though material sustenance is important, it's spiritual sustenance that really fuels our lives. That was evident at the Feast this week, as Dorothy made a special gesture to not only please the crowd, but make me feel special as well.

It's those little gestures of gratitude, generosity and praise that feed the spirit. They make us believe in ourselves. They remind us that we're on the right track and encourage us to keep forging along it. They brighten our days, which all of us, even those who spend them walking on sunshine, can use.

Yet, we often forget this kind of sustenance. We forget to feed ourselves and we forget to feed others. As essential as nourishing the spirit is, we too often lose sight of that necessity and neglect it.

This is an oft-unspoken sorrow, for two distinct reasons.

When it comes to feeding others' souls, it's a meal for them that costs nothing. Perhaps a few seconds, and no more. Sometimes, it costs humility, and sometimes, courage, but both are virtues. And if it costs forgiveness, that's all the better. Extending a kind word to others who have been your enemies is what God Himself recommends for a life lived with a lighter spirit, a happier soul.

So the next time you have a chance to say something nice, or take an interest, or lift the spirits of somebody, especially someone who you feel has wronged you, do so. It's not just a gift for them, it's going to make you feel lighter and better. God knows what He's talking about.

As for the other reason it's sad that we don't see to feeding the spirit, we can give ourselves that kind of care. We can do things that foster our sense of wonder, kindle our dreams and increase that all-important inner peace.

This might be spending time by oneself reading or meditating or gazing at the clouds. It could be doing charity work, learning about philosophical or spiritual matters, or even exercising to better oneself. For me, I often meditate, I pray, and I do tours of Pandemonium. And, as should surprise nobody who's met me, I love spending hours creating a new look for myself or the place I live.

So why don't we? Usually, we surrender to anxiety, thinking we have to do something else than care for our spirit. We race from one obligation to the next, as if we could ever be entirely done. Guess what; we can't. Man plans and God laughs.

We can only work with what the Lord sets before us, and He usually gives us mysteries. But He's also given us a soul to listen to, and minds to listen to it with. If we let ourselves be quiet, we can hear it.

I danced with my friend the other day, talked with a very nice demon, and made magic in many a garden. I know my life is blessed. I bless it all the more by sharing those blessings.

A big heart floats, my friends. A helping hand helps both ways. But we must remember to set aside time specially to feed that heart. And we must remember that helping others, through just a friendly word to friend and enemies alike, takes almost no time at all.

[loveandpain312]

me

When you are so deeply connected to yourself, it can be difficult to learn how to show it to others. We all want to be loved, understood and accepted by another. Something I’ve only just realized, is how hard that can be when we understand that the only one who can truly do that for us, is ourselves. Now that I’ve known forever, it was a realization I made at a young age, proving I had a maturity beyond me I didn’t recognize yet. What I am only learning now, is how this deep self-connection has interfered with my ability to create a similar deepness with someone else. The level I know myself at, is on a deeper level than I think is fathomable for a lot of people. I have always sensed what feels like a deep, inner voice inside of me, what I know now is a combination of who I am on the physical plane, my inner child, and my soul. Together, we go throughout life, always holding on to one another, to make sense of our experiences and lessons learned in every single thing we do. We love each other so much, the love alone could nourish me throughout life. However, my complexity goes beyond that. I could live with only the love I have for myself, but my depth allows rooms for more…more love than imaginable. What that means, is that I have as much love for myself and most only have to give to another, plus a million more big and little loves. However, when you understand yourself so much with a love so unconditional, can you imagine how it feels finding someone who also understands you at that level? It’s nearly, if not completely possible, I think. Its extremely frustrating. When you feel so deeply about something, see something so beautiful, just to realize that it will never be perceived the same by anyone else, only yourself. When you crave that connection of understanding, to share the same transcendent emotion here and there. To explain how you feel or what you love, and have it be completely and utterly understood. Now, recognizing this tells me a lot. If I feel I struggle to find that, is that something I merely accept, and not with bitterness, but because it's simply what’s possible? Or is it something I should see as a journey, to look for until my heart and soul knows I’ve reached it, and then it can give in, relax, and be.? Will i be constantly disappointed with that mindset, with it being always unreachable? Can i rest easier with the sacrifice of understanding it is not possible? Should I blame others for not being able to truly understand me, or recognize that nobody ever will, and thats not their fault? If I have to simply accept it, I know there will be resistance. I crave ones comprehension of me with the depth i am familiar with from myself. I crave an unspoken understanding, that sometimes I don’t need to say a word in order for the other to have an idea of what I am feeling, thinking or experiencing. I am complicated, and I know that. I feel that part of me requires someone so sure of themselves, so sure of who i am, that it balances out the exhausting energy it takes to be simply, complicated by nature. I don't want my depth, my complicatedness to be a block from sharing a true, deep and unconditional love with someone else. I just want it to enable a love stronger than the world has seen.

To make it easier, Here are the things I want to be understood about me:

-Sometimes, I feel emotions so deeply, I feel the weight of it actually and physically, crush me inside, and crush whatever it is that even enables us to feel emotion. 

- I will never see my high and frequent emotions as a weakness. They are a result of who I am, and who she (my inner child) is. They carry me throughout life. They keep me grateful, they keep my soft, and they keep me connected to every part of myself.

-I analyze everything in my head so often, so deeply and so constantly, that it can burn me out and make me feel actually sick somewhere in between the physical and spiritual realm. 

-With that, I may have the biggest critic living in my head than any other being on earth. I am constantly reflecting on myself, what im doing, what I do wrong, what i need to be better at, and where I need to grow. It’s exhausting. 

-I am a total escapist. Not because I experience hardships i feel I need distraction from (I see myself extremely blessed with an easy going and beautiful life), but because I experience everything, good and bad, so deeply, sometimes I need an escape from my own inner thoughts, reflections, and voices. I love to turn to the stories in books and movies to distract me from my own internal realities. For that reason, I easily become obsessive and all consumed by fictional stories and worlds. 

-I love a lot of things, because I have a lot of love to share. I think the most beautiful thing I have yet experienced is the limitless amounts and types of love that exist, and how every love looks different, but one love will NEVER take away from another love.

-I live deeply in my own mind. I like to be alone. I often go quiet. To those who spend the most time around who i really truly am (aka my mom), i appear to be crabby, a lot. I am not just plainly crabby. I am just being with myself, and outside voices can aggravate me easily. 

-Animals mean as much to me as humans. I see them truly, as equals. I feel as disrespected when a human treats them as any less, as I would if a human was receiving the same disrespect. I, in a way, take the hit personally, for that animal. I am very fragile and very sensitive to the disrespect of animals. I will think tremendously less of a person at the point that they treat or speak of any animal with disrespect

-Things, and places, can mean as much to me as human connections. They have a spirit to them that I feel, and it does not make me childish. (ie blankey, the cabin).  

-i often feel underappreciated. I feel as if i dont deserve anyone going out of their way to do something nice for me. I worry if i expect it, i will not receive it, and i will always be disappointed. (why my birthday is so weird for me. I want to feel appreciated, but don’t want to expect it and be rightly disappointed when i do not receive it). 

-I am highly insecure in many ways, but will rarely even admit it to myself, because I have too much respect for myself to believe i am any less than I am. 

-I feel truly alive near water. It cleanses me and my soul. I can breathe deeper near it. The more energy the water hold the better; big ocean waves, waterfalls, running rivers…I have always been drawn to it, and know I will live with more peace if i promise myself I will live on or near it for the majority of my life. (what a paradox it is that i can barely swim)

-I naturally and immediately turn to the positive (even when its barely even there) part of any situation i am in. It makes bad times more tolerable, and life easier to live. Bad things are unavoidable. How you process things however, is up to you. 

-I like to be coddled. I like when others make decisions for me but with my best interest in mind. I recognize this is not always realistic. But it is always appreciated by me.

-I am very intellectual, but am too self conscious to communicate it out to others, so i would say its rare anyone recognizes it about me.

-I would say i am most intelligent in the meaning of life and the human experience. Textbook stuff and street smarts I am only alright at. 

-I want my most apparent beauty to be who I am, not what can be seen. I get easily defensive if I feel anyones intention with me falls short on my outer appearance. However, in todays society, it's hard to navigate and balance with also enjoying the way my looks can receive attention from others. I can one moment, cherish the appreciation of my appearance, and the next be pissed off by it. 

-I have a lot of artistic expression within me, but have struggled to find an outlet for it. I love music, art, stories, poetry, and always feel restricted because i feel I cant successfully create my own.

- I respect and see aging as the most beautiful thing, while simultaneously and paradoxically never have been more truly and debilitatingly fearful of anything more 

-Two of my biggest pet peeves are laziness and lack of depth 

-I love being surprised , in ways big and especially small

-before I die, i want to see the northern lights, step foot on every continent, do something meaningful to help animals, write a book (or multiple), visit the titanic museum (and forks, Washington to live my twilight fantasy), and own one of many different kinds of animals (horse, chickens, donkey, reptiles….) and let them be my teachers and see what I can learn from them.

-Valuing health is a second nature to me, its not difficult, it is automatic.

-I believe the issue of our world is most people being incapable of viewing things from different perspectives, and i see a strength of mine is being able to understand, without judgements, all different kinds of people and situations. 

-I believe empathy is the most important quality a person can have.

-I absolutely, love life and everything that comes with it, more than I could ever express. 

-My issue if I feel nobody will every truly care about any of this.

[thefloorisbalaclava]

pragma - part seventeen

Pairing: Frankie “Catfish” Morales x F!Reader

Warnings: morning smut and a sensitive topic

A/N: Just wanted to give a little heads up that pregnancy and the inability to get pregnant is discussed in this chapter. I know in the movie Frankie mentions having a kid but I’m gonna do my own thing!

Summary: You open up to Frankie about something important and worry that he may not be happy with you after but you’re his world and he makes sure you know it.

pragma masterlist

You can feel the warmth from the sun shining through the window. You can feel the soft sheets against your bare skin. But there’s something else. You’re barely awake but the familiar feeling of Frankie’s lips trail down your stomach and you smile. Your eyes are still closed as he moves lower, kissing your thigh before dipping between your legs. For just a moment you thought it was a dream but when you felt his tongue, you knew it was real. Frankie felt like waking you up in a special way this morning.

When you finally opened your eyes and reached down to run your fingers through his hair, he pulled away for a moment. “Good morning, dulzura.” The way he smiled then licked his lips made you bite yours.

“Oh, it’s good indeed.” You moaned as he lapped at you slowly. One hand gripped the sheets and the other pulled at his hair which he always seemed to love. “Good god Frankie…” He groaned against you which caused a delicious vibration. “Shit!”

He pulled away and kissed your thigh. “I love waking you up,” he said with a smile. “You make the prettiest sounds.”

“Francisco…I swear to god you better not fucking leave me ever again.”

He chuckled. “Nunca.” It was enough that he was waking you up this way, but now he was speaking Spanish while between your legs, his lips and chin glistening, and he had never looked sexier. Those sleepy, brown eyes and that rakish smirk just about did you in.

“You look downright handsome like this,” you told him.

“Between your legs?” he asked but you never got a chance to answer. He went back to work—kissing, licking, and whatever else he was doing that felt so damn good.

“Francisco!”

His eyes fluttered shut and he groaned against you at the sound of his name. That seemed to spur him on even more. He opened his eyes to look directly at as his tongue moved around you and inside you. It was like he was dying of thirst and you were his only source of nourishment. And when you came, he lapped it up and savored you, staying between your legs for as long as he could before you had to beg him to stop.

“Jesus…” you breathed, running your fingers through his hair weakly.

“Just Frankie, baby,” he joked before kissing your thigh and finally moving from between your legs.

“Well, that was a nice treat.” You ran your hand over his chest as he laid there looking proud of himself. “But I think…” Your hand moves lower and his breath hitches. “…I should return the favor.”

He swallowed hard then looked down at your hand. “You don’t have to.”

“Oh, but Francisco…” You climbed on top of him. “I want to.”

His hands went straight to your hips, fingers tickling you lightly making you giggle. “You are so goddamn beautiful first thing in the morning.”

“Only first thing in the morning?” you asked, leaning down to kiss him.

“All the fucking time, cariño. All the time.”

“Mmm.” You kissed him, cupping his face. “Ooo I feel stubble.” Truth be told, you had already felt it when he was between your legs.

“Am I letting it grow back?” he asked.

“Yup.” You kissed him again, reaching down to line him up with you. As you slid onto him, he gasped and his face twisted in pleasure.

“Easy, baby. Fuck…easy.” He grunted as you sat up straight and put your hands on his chest as he filled you completely. “Jesus,” he whispered.

“It’s just me, baby,” you teased, using his own words against him with smile.

You loved making love first thing in the morning. It was slow and patient. There was no rush. Frankie’s hands were gentle as they always were with you, but they were especially so right now. Even as he reached around to squeeze your ass, they were gentle. He gave you a soft smile as he sat up to wrap his arms around you.

“You’re perfect,” he said quietly, head resting against your breasts as you rocked your hips on him.

“No. You’re perfect.” You tugged his hair and he looked up at you. “Perfecto.”

He bit his lip as he began moving his hips with yours, slow and gentle. Having him inside you was a spiritual thing—you were connected body and soul, ascending to the heavens. Your gazes were locked on each other and you could see your life in his eyes, full of passion and joy and love.

You rested your forehead against his and closed your eyes. He took one of your hands and held onto it as you moved slightly faster, never wanting it to end. He looked at you in awe as you threw your head back and said his name.

“Francisco,” you gasped.

Hearing him say your name made you smile. His voice was like a song and he was singing just for you. And now he threw his head back and sang the loveliest song for—a mixture of your name, praise, and a few words in Spanish that you were sure were curses. He groaned as he flattened his palms against your back and held you steady so he could thrust up into you as he finished.

His head rested against your breasts for a while before he looked up at you and smiled sleepily.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi handsome.”

He eventually laid down and you rolled off of him carefully. “I need a cigarette,” he breathed.

“You smoke now?” you asked.

“No,” he chuckled, rolling out of bed to walk to the bathroom and clean up. When he walked out, he was carrying another washcloth just for you. Cleaning you up was one of his favorite things to do. He took his time, making sure he didn’t miss a thing, then got rid of the rag.

Climbing back into bed, he worked himself between your legs, but only to lay his head on your breasts and have you hold him.

“Are you…have you ever thought about…” He stammered a few times then got quiet.

“What is it?” You played with his hair and he sighed.

“Well, we’ve been together…a lot…and each time I…well, you know but nothing ever happens.” It was like he was speaking in code.

“What?”

He turned his head to look at you, resting his chin against your chest. “Are you worried about…getting pregnant?”

Your hand dropped from his head and you looked away. “No.”

“So…you’re on the pill?” he asked.

“No.”

Frankie furrowed his brow in concern and confusion. “Then…”

“I don’t think I can have kids, Frankie.” Saying it out loud hurt more than you thought it would. You were grateful for it with your ex-husband but now it devastated you. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? Why are you sorry?”

You pushed him off of you gently and rolled onto your side so he couldn’t see your face. “You were asking me because you want kids, right? You want a family…and I probably can’t give you one.”

“We don’t need kids to be a family. You know that, right?”

You turned away again. “You say that now but you’ll change your mind.”

“Never. I’m here for you. That’s it. We don’t have to have that traditional bullshit...white picket fence or whatever the fuck. Just us two. That’s what’s important.”

“You sure you won’t leave me for your ex?” you asked.

“What? Why the hell would you even ask that?” He sat up and turned you onto your back so he could look at your face.

You shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“I want you. You’re the only one for me. We both tried going our separate ways but somehow still found a way back to each other. That’s gotta mean something, right?” He closed his eyes and ran a hand over his face. “I mean…you want me, right?” His voice sounded so small, so broken.

“Of course I do.” You sat up and held his hand. “And now that I have you I never wanna let go.”

“You’re stuck with me,” he said, wiping his eyes.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“I’m sorry I’m an idiot. I shouldn’t have brought up the baby stuff…” He looked down, embarrassed, but you lifted his head up again.

“Sometimes we’re gonna have to talk about some tough things. It’s part of being with someone and being in love. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“You’re my favorite person, you know that?” He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close.

“I better be,” you giggled and he kissed you.

*

After a shower, you both decided to go for a walk to enjoy the beautiful weather. Frankie held your hand the entire time unless he was walking ahead to point out and show you something.

“We should go on a camping trip,” he suggested.

“I haven’t been camping since I was a Girl Scout.”

“You were a Girl Scout?” He laughed as you punched his arm. “Seriously, we should. I know some great spots.”

“I’d go anywhere and do anything with you, Francisco.”

“Skydiving?”

“Except for that. Do you remember how I was during that little helicopter ride? And you think I’d be willing to jump out of a fucking plane?” You scoffed and shook your head.

“I’d do it,” he said.

“You were spec ops, Frankie. You were probably jumping out of helicopters and planes all the time.”

“I was just a pilot.”

“Hm…is the government gonna set off the little chip in your head and kill you if you tell me more?” you quipped.

“You watch too many movies.” He stopped to take in the view on the bridge you were walking over. You sat up on the little stone wall as he rested on his forearms, staring at the river below. You took the hat from his head and put it on yours.

“I love your hat hair.”

He made a face then moved to stand between your legs. “Don’t make fun of me.” He held you tightly.

“I’m serious. I really like it. It’s adorable.”

“If you say so.”

You sat there holding him for a while, listening to the river flow below. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and Frankie was in your arms. A perfect day. He mumbled something into your shirt.

“What did you say?”

“I said I love you. Te quiero mucho.” He looked up at you. “Can I have my hat back now?”

“Okay…but you gotta kiss me first."

He did and you wanted it to last forever. His hands made their way under your shirt and you had to stop him.

“Frankie, we’re in public.”

“Yeah but no one’s coming.”

“Uh oh…Frankie the frisky flyboy is back.” You both laughed then you hopped down from the wall.

He took his hat from your head and put it back on. “I used the word frisky once and you’re never gonna let me live it down, are you?”

“Nope.” You walked ahead of him but he caught up and grabbed your hand then kissed it.

“So…are we going on that camping trip?” he asked.

“Sure, why not?”

*

Frankie talked about the trip the entire walk back home and you loved it. Seeing him so animated, so excited about something made you happy.

“You’re adorable,” you said as you walked through the door and kicked your shoes off.

“I am pretty cute, huh?”

“The cutest. And all mine.” You jumped into his arms and he carried you to the couch to set you down. He took his hat off and knelt in front of you, putting his head on your lap. “You wanna know something else?”

“Hm?” His eyes were already closing.

“You’re my favorite person.”

He smiled and finally got off the floor to lay out on the couch and put his head back on your lap. “You make me so happy.” Curling up, he closed his eyes again and drifted off to sleep.

“You make me happy too, Frankie.”

[eighteen]

Tags: @cable-kenobi @saltywintersoldat @ahopelessromanticwritersworld @pedrosdoll @psychobillybunny @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead @keeper0fthestars @mrsparknuts @thinemineours @huliabitch @synystersilenceinblacknwhite @lavenderl3mons @mrscrain-x7 @fioccodineveautunnale @gooddaykate @themilkface @tiffdawg @ms-dont-care @mus1caln0tes @awesomefandomsunited @seawhisperer @virtualxjournality @badassbaker @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol​ @lokiaddicted @forever-rogue @sloantravels @javier-djarin @jawabear​

[godsporncollection]

Saturday Morning Session

(personal commentary in italics) (sorry for how inconsistent i am at this, i’m trying new medication, so my focus comes and goes unpredictably, but i didn’t want this to take weeks)

Russel M Nelson -  strengthen your testimony (?)

"I understand better what he meant when he said 'behold, i will hasten my work in this time.'" 

Y'all have been strengthening your testimonies and i, and your children, thank you. did that inclusion of "your children" feel off to anyone else?

I can see the work on the temple outside my window and that makes me think about how we need to remove the old debris from our lives. I too think of the temple as 'old debris' that should be removed from my life.

"the gospel is a message of joy" I cannot roll my eyes hard enough

that was short. what was the topic? blab for a five minutes?

Dieter F. Uchdorf - god is Among Us

I had to move lots when I was a kid because there was a war on. i thought about the missionaries who came to the country of their enemies to bring us the gospel.

i was a kid in a war-torn country > missionaries > god has not forgotten us > we will be heirs of god > how could we complain when we have that? > the atonement > mistakes are okay, just gotta keep repenting.

what would jesus teach if he was among us today? the same thing he's always taught. "the savior always teaches timeless truths, to everyone, a message of hope and belonging, a testament that god has not abandoned his children that god is Among Us."

jesus says to love one another and to be full of charity towards all men. i would like to see it.

anyone else feel like these talks are just. empty? like, they're not feeling it either?

if jesus came into your home today, he would see into your heart and i'm gonna waste a couple more minutes by expanding on that. one look into his eyes and we would be forever changed by the realization that god is Among Us.

back to me, i wish i could go back and tell myself to stay on the right track because god is Among Us, so i'm gonna tell you instead. god is Among Us.

"line upon line" *gag*

god is Among Us

Joy D Jones - abuse is wrong unless you use it to teach kids about the gospel

"have you ever wondered why we call 'primary' 'primary'?" as someone who understands how language works, no.

because kids are importanter than everything else

god trusts us to be nice to our kids; that means no abuse, even if we're angry. whoever needed this reminder should be shot.

hey, maybe you can "combat the evils of abuse" by not fucking raising your kids in an abusive cult!

analogy of a kid who fell out of bed because he "didn't get far enough in" = he wasn't indoctrinated enough, with awkward collage of pics of kids for a minute.

eyring said to get 'em while they're young

love all the pics of black people that try to say "see? we don't think black people are inherently evil (anymore)!"

analogy of a soldier in boot camp. drill seargants are mean, but that was necessary because apparantly it's the only way this guy can learn how to hide. also, apparently this guy is "our friend". not my friend, thanks.

"how can we do the same for our children?" don't fucking act like a drill seargent to your kids! ffs

"wouldn't we rather have them sweat in the safe learning environment of the home than bleed on the battlefields of life?" first of all, fuck you. second, dramatic much? third, fuck you, kids shouldn't have to learn about life in a hostile environment. does this woman have kids? are they okay? fucking hell, five kids were raised by a woman with this mentality. what a bitch.

"eternity is the wrong thing to be wrong about." i got news for you. of course, if i ever spoke to this machine, that topic wouldn't be my top priority.

I need a fucking drink.

Jan Eric Newman - teaching the gospel is good, but you can't force a testimony on others

anecdote about a local old woman getting birthday gifts. she taught us some good things when we were growing up, so thanks, sister davis.

another teacher, at college, was a "master teacher." he loved me and the lord. he taught me to learn doctrine on my own and that "changed me forever."

just sayin', if you're taught how to learn on your own, but didn't exercise enough critical thought to gtfo of this cult, maybe the teacher wasn't the best.

it's good to have good teachers.

the ancient nephites and lamanites had good teachers, and "there was no contention among them!"

"how can we teach more like the savior and help others become more deeply converted?" nope, nope. nope.

1st, "learn all you can about the master teacher hismelf." so, we're sticking with the term "master teacher." cool. doesn't sound weird at all.

ask yourself questions about how he taught, then do that.

read "teaching in the savoir's way."

2nd, use bullshit stories. oh, no, it's a story about how somebody is grateful for the pandemic because her adult child read the BoM for the first time during it. she said it had made "literal miracles."

3rd, "remember that conversion must come from within." guess jan and "joy" should have compared notes before speaking.

"children inheret many things, but a testimony is not one of them. we can't give our children a testimony any more than we can make a seed grow; but we can provide a nourishing environment, with good soil, free of thorns that would choke the word."

Gary E. Stevenson - kindness

story about a study where rabbits were fed a high-fat diet, but those under the care of a loving researcher didn't gain as much weight.

only christians can intuitively understand that this means there's a reason to be kind to others.

jesus said love one another.

addressing primary kids - be kind. here's a story about a kid who stopped being a bully because the bullied kid said it hurt.

to the teens - social media makes bullying worse, clearly satan is using social media against your generation. do what you can t make these spaces safer. if you're a bully, "stop it."

to the adults- "we have a primary responsibility to set a tone and be role models of kindness (get wrecked "joy"), inclusion and civility."

from ballard- "i have never heard members of this church to be anything but loving, kind, tolerant and benevolent to our friends and neighbors of other faiths." k, but, like, you know it's not just a difference of religious belief that’s the problem, right?

i'm heartbroken to hear about prejudice against blackasianlatino people or of any other group. i love how that section was really only about race, with a blanket "any other group" thrown in as an afterthought so they can't be accused of being homophobic.

in the winter of 1838, jo smith was in prison and why do you think that happened, gary?

church members were driven from their homes and the residents of a town across the river gave them food and shelter. that generosity saved the lives of many of them.

god is a compassionate care-giver.

Gerrit W. Gong - disjointed anecdotes of human experiences, idk

i miss my dad. he was adventurous, except regarding food.

i saw a guy be mean to a lady selling ice cream. he smashed all of her cones. the image of her trying to salvage the cones haunts me to this day.

story of the good samaritan.

be like christ this easter.

"we recieve inspiration as we counsel together, listening to each person, including each sister and the spirit."

does this guy have a topic?

he’s is just giving a list of random human experiences and parables.

*displays a lack of understanding of instagram.*

he's listing something throughout this, like, he keeps counting, but i have no idea what and his voice is making my adhd medication run away, so i'm not listening to this again.

Henry B. Eyring - temple worthiness

today i'm feeling light and hope, like the first day i went to the salt lake temple

i'm an oblivious fucker who didn't notice my name being pinned on me, so i thought the woman who greeted me was an angel because she knew my name.

thought he could remember being in the temple before, but a voice that was not his own (that's how you know it's true and not something he just told himself) told him he was remembering heaven.

confused "holiness to the lord" with "this is a holy place." i know both phrases use the word 'holy', but like, those contexts mean separate things.

i also had this feeling during my wedding in the logan temple.

i think henry should get checked out, he suffers from frequent hallucinations and it's good to know how your brain works differently from others when in a leadership position.

during my wedding, i had a vision of a house and the officiant said to live in a way that you can walk away easily. a year later, my father in law bought the exact house and my wife and i lived in the guest house for ten years. then i got the call to move somewhere else on assignment from the church and we walked away easily.

scripture from jesus about temples.

if you're unworthy in the temple, you won't be "able to see, by the power of the holy ghost, the spiritual teaching of the savior that we can recieve in the temple."

"when we are worthy to recieve such teaching, there can grow, through our temple experience, hope, joy, and optimism throughout our lives. that hope, joy, and optimism are available only through accepting the ordinances performed in holy temples."

i forgot how simple a baptism is, so i'm gonna tell you how amazed (and a little concerned) i was when my youngest daughter stayed to do baptism for the dead for all of the names on the list that day. maybe i'm just super comfortable in the water, but that doesn't sound hard, actually. i used to almost enjoy doing those.

quotes the primary song 'i love to see the temple.'

remember to be worthy so you can live with your family forever.

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for The Baptism of the Lord (B)

Isa 55:1-11; Isa 12:2-6; 1 Jn 5:1-9; Mark 1:7-11

Many things have been missing since the pandemic began. Right now, for example, because our community is in self-isolation due to sickness, I am, once again, missing having people here in church worshipping God alongside us Dominicans. But I hope that at least some of those who are missing can be helped in however small a way by this livestream. But like so many other new measures being undertaken at this time, it’s all too virtual, too distant, and ultimately too inhuman and sometimes, even inhumane. 

For we are bodily, relational, physical persons, which is why we long to touch, taste, smell, feel, and hear. Sight and mental ideas, though important, we realise are just not enough, which is why a live-streamed Mass or Zooming in to ‘visit’ our grandparents is never sufficient but all too limited and limiting. If there’s anything we can realise more deeply in the midst of this pandemic, it’s that we are human beings, a unique combination of the bodily-physical and the spiritual-psychological, and so we need to be sustained, and nourished, and kept healthy in both body and soul altogether. Many of the debates and disagreements we’ve had at this time as Catholics have revolved around the unique difficulties of being human and staying humane, of serving both body and soul, of having a care for the whole human person. 

It seems to me that, although we can be grateful for the applications that our modern technology enables, nevertheless all our solutions, being solutions devised by other frail human beings and being dependent on soulless machines, are fatally limited. 

The reason we celebrate Christmas, and the focus of this Christmastide season which ends today with this Feast of the Lord’s Baptism, is all about God’s solution for humanity’s fundamental sickness, a pandemic that has plagued us since Adam and Eve sinned against the wisdom and goodness of God, choosing, somewhat irrationally, to follow their own limited knowhow to find happiness over and above God’s way, which is the way of self-giving love. God’s solution for the sickness of sin, therefore, takes into account our human condition, our human nature, which is a rational, intelligent, thinking nature, capable of knowing truth and of choosing to do good. God’s solution for the plight of humanity, therefore, is altogether perfectly humane and is perfectly suited to our being human. For our sakes, God became Man, and Christ, by his teaching and his actions, becomes God’s way to be human, teaching us how to be more genuinely human, more humane, if you will. Thus St Thomas Aquinas says: “to open the way to God for everyone, God willed to become man, so that even children could know and love God as someone like themselves; and so by what they can grasp they can progress little by little to perfection.”

So, God became Man in order to remove our sins, indeed, more than that, he comes to enlighten our minds with truth and to rectify our wills; to reform and remake us from within so that we are motivated not by our sinful desires, but by loving what God loves, and doing as Christ does. In other words, in the person of Jesus Christ, God comes to befriend you and me so as to make us friends of God. As St Thomas says: Man’s sickness consisted in falling into wanting and doing the wrong things, so “righteousness of the human will consists in the proper ordering of love, [and] rightly ordered love is to love God above all things as our supreme good”. So, “to excite our love towards God, there was no more powerful way than that the Word of God, through whom all things were made, should assume our human nature in order to restore it… because the strongest way God could show how much he loves man was his willing to become man for his salvation; and nothing can provoke love more than to know that one is loved.”

In fact, today’s Gospel makes it even more amazing. For God loves us so much that he’s not content to just become Man and so become the cure for our sins. More than this, God wants to become the cure for the natural end of our human condition, namely, God wants to save us from eternal death. And so we’re made, by Christ and through Christ and in Christ, into beloved sons and daughters of God! This is the beauty of the Incarnation, of the Christmas mystery that we have been celebrating, and it is at the heart of the Christian Gospel: that we should become sharers in the divine nature of God’s own immortal Son. 

And the way that God communicates this grace, this spiritual transformation, this renewal of mind and heart that elevates our human nature, is in a bodily, physical way because that is how human beings relate to things and with one another. So, through the Sacraments, beginning with Baptism, Jesus Christ touches us, moves us, embraces us, changes us, and indeed, unites himself to us so that we can be united to God. For at your own Baptism, the Father also declared: “You are my Son, the Beloved; my grace rests on you.” (Cf Mk 1:11)

One of the things that has been missing from our churches – one of the first things to be taken away, in fact – is the holy water at the entrance. In St Dominic’s, our stone holy water stoups are so large that they look like a baptismal font, which is fitting because the holy water that should be there points to the Sacrament of Baptism. Sadly, instead of the holy waters of Baptism, we now have sanitisers, and perhaps you’ve also absent-mindedly crossed yourself with this as you entered a church! 

But, once again, this man-made solution can serve to show us how very different and limited this is compared to God’s solution. At first glance there can seem to be some similarities: the sanitiser kills germs, and Baptism washes away sin. But this is only a very superficial similarity. For whereas the sanitiser only kills the bacteria and viruses on your hands, in the crevices of your skin, and so on, it merely acts on that which isn’t human and reacts with those things that are outside of me, on the surface of my hand. 

The Sacrament of Baptism, on the other hand, doesn’t merely wash over me externally. Rather, it acts on that which is human, acting interiorly on my rational soul, forming my human dispositions and making me more responsive to the Holy Spirit, more obedient to the Word of God, more humbly and trustingly Child-like towards God my Father. In a word, the Sacrament humanises me, by restoring my relationship with God and with other people, placing me within the communion of God’s friends that we call the Church. The Sacraments, because they are devised by God for us human beings, make us more truly human by making us more open to love. So the grace of Baptism, which is at work within us over our lifetime, makes me become more like God the Son, more Christ-like, more loving of God and his commandments, as St John says in today’s Second Reading.

However, something can still be missing, and that something is you and me. I don’t just mean that people are missing because they’re staying away during this pandemic, or because of Covid restrictions. I mean that people can be missing, even well before 2020, if they’ve not really wanted the Sacraments but treat it like a cultural rite of passage; if they’ve not really been engaged with the Christian life and its demands; or if they’ve not really been present to all the graces that God has been pouring out upon us. Tragically for many, the Christian life, which is a call to a living relationship of love with God, can lapse into something distant from my full human experience. So, to use a rough analogy, it can become a bit like being at a Zoom meeting but with my camera and mic turned off; or trying to have a party with friends via Zoom: it’s virtual, not quite real, because it doesn’t really touch me or change me as a human person. Consequently, what’s missing has been the whole human person, body and soul. And yet, it is for this full human encounter that God became Man, and that Christ continues to give himself to us in the Sacraments. 

So, this is vital: for the Sacraments to take hold and deeply work in us; for God’s grace to actually have a powerful effect in my life, then my disposition, my receptivity, my willingness to be changed by God, and to let him encounter the whole Me is needed. As St Augustine says, “God who created you without you, will not save you without you”. Because God acts humanely, and so he respects our human freedom, and he wants to save the whole human person in a humane way by inviting you and me into a relationship of mutual love with him. God does this through the Incarnation of his Son; through the attractive teaching and example of Christ; through the grace of Christ communicated by the material instrumentality of the Sacraments and the beauty of the Liturgy; and through the communion of Saints. So, if today you should hear his voice, harden not your hearts, but respond to his invitation, and give yourselves, body and soul, to this relationship of love. As the prophet Isaiah says, the Lord calls out to you and me in a way that engages us, body and soul: “Come… eat… listen. Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live.” 

If you’re not baptised yet, but thinking about it, come. If you’re already baptised, like me, then let's listen and follow Jesus more closely. For, as St Augustine says, thus we shall realise that “to fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement.”

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Mon., Mar. 15, 2021

Commemorated on March 2_by the New calendar

The Priest Martyr Theodotus (315)

     The PriestMartyr Theodotus, a native of Galatia in Asia Minor, was bishop of the city of Kyreneia in Cyprus. During a time of persecution against christians under the impious emperor Licinius (307-324), Saint Theodotus openly preached Christ, calling on the pagans to abandon idol-worship and turn to the True God. The governor of Cyprus Sabinus gave orders to arrest and bring bishop Theodotus to trial. Having found out about this order, the saint did not wait for the soldiers sent after him, but instead immediately went to the governor with the words: "I am here, whom thou seekest; I have shown myself, so as to preach Christ my God". The governor gave orders for the saint to be beaten without mercy, hung up upon a tree and be dealt with by sharp implements, and then be taken to prison. After five days Saint Theodotus was again brought to the governor, who presumed that the bishop would prefer after his tortures to renounce Christ, rather than endure new sufferings. But Saint Theodotus did not cease to preach about Christ. At first they put the saint on an iron grate, under which they set a bon-fire, and then hammered nails into his feet and let him go. Many witnessed the sufferings of the martyr: astonished at the endurance of the saint and his Divinely-inspired speaking, they came to believe in Christ. Learning of this, Sabinus gave orders to stop the torture and lock up the saint in prison.      During the time of Saint Constantine the Great (Comm. 21 May), the freedom to confess their faith was given to all christians, and among the sufferers set free from prison was also Saint Theodotus. The saint returned to Kyreneia and after two years serving as bishop he peacefully expired to the Lord in about the year 326.

All texts© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Jano

The Monk Agathon of Egypt (5th.c.)

     The Monk Agathon of Egypt, a contemporary of the Monk Makarios the Great (Comm. 19 January), pursued asceticism in a skete monastery in Egypt. He was distinguished by an especial meekness, accounting himself most sinful among men. One time monks from afar came to the monk Agathon for spiritual talk and asked him: "Art thou Father Agathon?" "Ye see before you a sinful servant of God", – answered the monk. "It is rumoured, that thou art a man proud and intemperate", – replied the monks. "Completely true", agreed the saint. "We have heard also, that thou art a liar that loveth to gossip about others". "This also is true", – assented Saint Agathon. "They say moreover, that thou art an heretic?" – the monks persisted, but immediately they met with an objection: "In vain, I am not an heretic". When they asked the monk why, having accepted upon himself other vices, that he refused this last one, the saint explained: "These vices it is impossible not to ascribe to myself, since every man by his nature falls into sin, and all of us, through the corruption of our nature, are involuntarily captivated by vices; but heresy is apostacy from God, a deliberate renunciation of the True God".      To the question about which ascetic deeds are more important for salvation, the external or the inner, the monk Agathon answered: "A man is like a tree; the outer or bodily concerns itself with leaves, whereas the inner soul grows fruit. But just as Holy Scripture asserts, that "every tree which does not bear good fruit, shalt be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Mt 3: 10), so then it is evident from this, that the greater attention ought to concern the fruit. But a tree also has need for its leaves, so as to sustain the life-bearing sap and by the shade of its leaves offer protection to the tree and its fruit from the desiccating heat".      The monk Agathon died in about the year 435. For three days before his end the monk sat in silence and concentration, as though disturbed about something. To the perplexed questioning of the monks he answered, that he saw himself at the Judgement in front of Christ. "How is it possible that thou, father, should fear judgement?" – they asked him. "I through my strength have kept the commandments of the Lord, but as a man how might I be certain, that my deeds have been pleasing to God?". "Dost thou not trust that thy good deeds which thou hast accomplished, are pleasing to God?" – asked the monks. "I have no hope until such time as I see God. Human judgement is one thing, but Divine judgement is another matter". Having said this, the saint expired to the Lord.      [Trans. Note: "Agathon" in Greek means "Good", just as also "Makarios" means "Blessed"; – there is a didactic thread woven into the fabric of many of the Saints vitae teaching this or that moral point or insight. Thus, whether or not Saint Agathon started monastically with such a name is less relevant than having finished with it. The opening dialogue with the monks from afar takes on a deeper dimension when set in perspective of: "Art thou Brother Good", – "Ye see before you a sinner" "guilty of all the sins ye allege and more" "but God forbid, no heretic!"].

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

Isaiah 1:1-20 (6th Hour)

1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, And they have rebelled against Me; 3 The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.” 4 Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Childrenwho are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. 5 Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, And the whole heart faints. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head, There is no soundness in it, But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, Or soothed with ointment. 7 Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. 8 So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city. 9 Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the Lord, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the Lord. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. 12 When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? 13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. 14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Proverbs 1:1-20 

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion— 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, 9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck. 10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; 13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”—15 My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; 16 For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. 17 Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives.19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.20Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.

[pamphletstoinspire]

Story About The Second Sunday after Easter. (Latin Calendar)

by Fr. Raphael Frassinetti, 1900

Gospel. John x. 11-16. At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, and flieth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep: and the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd: and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

“I Am the Good Shepherd.” This Our Lord says of Himself. Our Lord had other titles, as Jesus, Saviour, Redeemer, Master, Advocate, King of peace, Our Reconciliation, all signifying His love for mankind. Are you, my dear young people, glad of the title of good Shepherd, which Our Lord gives Himself? Yes, the title is a beautiful one; it is full of consolation and of love. He gives Himself this title in order to gain our affection and our entire heart. How good Jesus is to us, His lambs and sheep!–What care does He not take of us? He speaks to our hearts words of eternal life, and His holy inspiration illumines our mind and makes us know His goodness. He takes us up tenderly, and brings us to delightful pastures. He nourishes our souls with His holy word, by the words of His priests; He feeds us with bread which is not of this world, the Bread of angels, His sacred body and blood. Was there ever a shepherd who gave his body and blood for food to his flock? Generally the flock is a source of revenue, support, and sustenance to the shepherd; but not so in the case of this Good Shepherd. He supports and sustains His flock.

Of course the shepherd will fight for his flock, he will use every means in his power to protect it from ravage, but the Good Shepherd gives His life for His flock. O, infinite love! What pains and suffering didst Thou not endure for Thy sheep! Just think of Jesus crucified; look at Him nailed to the cross; see that face all covered with bruises; those eyes half closed with blood; those shoulders torn by stripes; that side opened by a lance; those hands and feet pierced with nails, and that head crowned with sharp thorns. All this, all these wounds, the Good Shepherd suffered for His poor lost sheep. Then what should we do on our part? Oh, give Him at least a little recognition, gratitude, obedience, and love– if nothing more than to receive Him on the great festivals of the year. This good Shepherd will love you with all affection and give you His choicest blessings.

There are, on the contrary, many restless, ill-regulated, sickly, plague-stricken sheep who have to be thrown out of the flock, because they continually disobey Him and make Him feel the sadness of having shown kindness in vain. He would like to bring them to good pastures that they might recover from their maladies, and become useful members of the flock again, but they will not listen to His voice. He calls them to the use of the sacraments, but it is in vain; He calls them about Him to be His escort and companions, but they would rather be far away from Him; they want to feed their souls on poisonous food; they do not like the restraint of being near the holy Jesus. They have left the fountains of living water which ran to eternal life. They have looked for water and found filthy broken cisterns.

Among you, my dear youthful friends, there are many wayward sheep also. This Good Shepherd seeks to bring them back to the fold, but many are obstinate, blind, and wicked, and will not hear His voice. He invites them with sweet and coaxing words; He makes them feel the qualms of conscience; He embitters the cup of vice from which they are drinking and takes peace and happiness away from them. But these wicked sheep will not listen and continually say by their works, “No, I will have nothing to do with you.” What more should this Good Shepherd do to gain them and to bring them back to His flock? Can you suggest something? Is it possible that God will not succeed in attracting them to Him? Will He not succeed when He promises them the kingdom of paradise? He must and will get angry some time; He will abandon them and deny them the help of His grace, and then they will fall from one sin to another. How many young people, my dear friends, are in such a state. In early youth they become vessels of wrath, and if God still tolerates them, the day of vengeance will come, the day on which God will separate the bad from the good. And to the bad He will say, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”

Now, there is still time to change your way of living; you can become the well-loved lambs and sheep of the flock of Christ, instead of being the despised rams that the Shepherd does not tolerate near Him. Go to Him and show your sorrow, and He will take you on His shoulders, for He is waiting and looking for you. He is watching you in your wanderings, and at the first sign of repentance, of weakness, or of fainting, He hastens to your side, He raises you on His shoulders, and carries you back to the fold which you would not have been able to reach with your wasted strength.

My young friends, we are all sheep of the flock of Christ; we are His by redemption and by the grace of almighty God. Be always obedient to Him, hear His voice, and walk continually in His footsteps. Would you walk securely in the midst of this world, so full of danger and snares? The only means is to allow yourselves to be guided by God. If you would please the divine Shepherd, imitate Him in His divine virtues, in His kindness and obedience, like good sheep who are willing to be led. The divine Shepherd having loved His flock on this earth, will call them all to the enjoyment of heavenly pastures and will quench their thirst “At the torrents of joy” which He provides for us in heaven. 

by Leonard Goffine, 1871

Because of the joyous resurrection of Christ, and the graces flowing to us on account of it, the Church sings at the Introit of Mass: The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord, Alleluia, by the word of the Lord the heavens were established, Alleluia, Alleluia. Rejoice in the Lord O ye just: praise becometh the upright. (Ps. xxxii.) Glory, &c.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. O God, who, by the humiliation of Thy Son, hast raised up the fallen world: grant to Thy people perpetual joy: that They whom thou hast delivered from the danger of everlasting death, may arrive at eternal happiness. Through, &c.

EPISTLE. (i. Peter ii. 21 – 25) Dearly Beloved: Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth. Who when He was reviled, did not revile: when He suffered, he threatened not: but delivered Himself to him that judged Him unjustly: who His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree: that we being dead to sins, should live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed. For you were as sheep going astray: but you are now converted to the shepherd and bishop of your souls.

EXPLANATION St. Paul teaches the Christians patience in misery and afflictions, even in unjust persecution, and for this purpose places before them the example of Christ who though most innocent, suffered most terribly and so patiently. Are we true sheep of the good shepherd if at the smallest cross, at every word, we become so angry and impatient?

ASPIRATION. O Lord Jesus! grant me the grace to follow Thee, my good Shepherd, and not to complain and make threats whenever I am reprimanded, reviled, or for justice's sake am persecuted.

GOSPEL. (John x. 11 – 16.) At That Time: Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, and flieth, and the wolf catcheth, and scattereth the sheep: and the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling; and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd: and I know mine, and mine know me, as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

In what way has Christ proved Himself a good shepherd?

In this that He sacrificed His life for those who did not yet love Him, and could not reward Him, even for His enemies (John iv. 30.; Rom. v. 8.), and has besides given Himself to them for their food.

How are we to know if we are among the sheep of Christ, that is, His chosen ones?

By this, if we willingly listen to the voice of the shepherd in sermons and instructions, in spiritual books and conversations, are obedient to it, and especially give ear and follow the rules of the Church through which the good Shepherd speaks to us (Luke x. 16.), “for he,” says St. Augustine, “who has not the Church for his mother, will not have God for his father;” if we gladly receive the food of the good Shepherd, that is, His sacredbody and blood in holy Communion; if we are patient and meek as a lamb, freely forgiving our enemies; if we love all men from our heart, do only good to them, and seek to bring them to Jesus.

Who are the other sheep of Christ?

The gentiles who were not of the fold of Israel, whom Christ sought to bring by His disciples, and now by their successors, into His fold.–Among these sheep we also, through our ancestors, belonged. O how grateful we should be to God, that He has brought us into the fold of His Church, and how diligently we should conduct ourselves as good sheep!

When will there be but one fold and one shepherd?

When by the Church's prayers and by her missionaries all nations shall be converted to the only saving Church, constituting then one Church under one head. Let us pray that this may soon come to pass.

PRAYER O Lord Jesus! Thou good Shepherd who on the cross didst give Thy life for Thy sheep, grant us, we beseech Thee, by Thy death, the grace to bear upon ourselves all the signs of Thy lambs, that we may be one day numbered among Thy chosen ones in heaven.

DOCTRINE OF HOPE I give my life for my sheep. (John x. 15.)

What has Christ won for us by His death?

The remission of our sins, the grace to lead a god-pleasing life, and eternal happiness, for which we now firmly hope, with secure confidence may now expect, and most assuredly will obtain, if we do not ourselves let it go.

In what does eternal happiness consist?

In the clear vision of God, which includes the most perfect love of Him, by which those who are saved, become, as it were, one with Him, possessing in this union everything that they could possibly desire.

What are the necessary means of obtaining eternal happiness?

The grace of God, that is, His continual assistance; the practice of the three divine virtues: faith, hope, and love; the keeping of God's commandments; the frequent use of the holy Sacraments, and constant prayer. These means must be diligently employed, for “God who,” as St. Augustine says, “created us without us, will not save us without us,” that is, without our cooperation.

What may especially enable us to hope for eternal happiness?

The infinite mercy and goodness of God, who from all eternity has loved us more than an earthly mother, and because of this love did not even spare His only begotten Son, but gave Him up, for our sake, to the bitterest death. Will He then deny us heaven, who in giving us His Son, has given us more than heaven itself?

The fidelity of God: He has so often promised us eternal happiness, and in so many texts of Scripture so clearly explained, that He wishes us to be saved, that He must keep His promise, for He is eternal truth and cannot possible lie or deceive. (Hebr. vi. 18.) He says not yes today, and no tomorrow, there is no change in Him, nor shadow of alteration. (James i. 17.) The omnipotence of God, who can do “all that He pleases, whom no one can oppose or prevent from doing what He will; if now we have confidence in a rich and honest man who assures us, he will assist us in need, how much more should we hope in the best, most faithful, and all powerful God!

When should we make acts of hope?

As soon as we come to the use of reason and are sufficiently instructed concerning this virtue and its motives; in time of trouble or of severe temptation against this virtue; when receiving the holy Sacraments; every day in the morning or evening, and especially at the hour of death. The same things are to be observed in making acts of faith and of love. 

[imitranslates]

Fukigen na Mononokean Ch. 73

A surprise meeting for the boys this month...

Please remember to check out the official English release when it comes out, preferably on Crunchyroll if you’re able to!

The newest chapter can be read on the official website by clicking the yellow button labeled 読む!

Fukigen na Mononokean Chapter 73 - Tearful Audience

Page 1

Aoi: You can see me off from here.

Aoi: My body won't be able to move in a few more days.

Page 2

Aoi: When I become nourishment for the parasitic shrub, and my spiritual power is weakened,

Aoi: The one I nominated as my successor will be appointed as a new guardian of the door to the Underworld.

Aoi: That means the moment you are able to call the door to the Underworld, "Abeno Haruitsuki" will become the master of the Mononokean.

Aoi: Do everything for the sake of the demons.

Page 3

Aoi: See you... Itsuki.

Page 4

Abeno: Good morning.

Mononokean: Mornin'~!

Mononokean: Hm?

Mononokean: Don't you have school today? Are you planning to go in those clothes?

Abeno: That's not it.

Abeno: I want to visit Newt Lake first.

Abeno: I want to report to the Legislator about Yahiko's case as soon as possible.

Page 5

Mononokean: Then, I'll connect a door to Newt Lake.

Abeno: Good morning.

Legislator: I don't want to start working right after getting up... Can't you come back after I've slept some more?

Page 6

Legislator: ...I see.

Legislator: It's just as you thought, Itsuki.

Legislator: The true identity of that fox spirit is Prince Mioya-hiko.

Legislator: But we didn't expect the Princess's poor condition to have an effect on Prince Mioya-hiko, too.

I'll share the information about this matter with everyone.

Abeno: I'd be grateful.

Abeno: With that, I'll be...

Legislator: Hey, wait a moment.

Legislator: There's one more thing you need to report.

Abeno: ?

Page 7

Legislator: The Underworld Princess said, "I'd like to meet the second master of the Mononokean."

Abeno: Me?

Legislator: When we talked about Aoi's remains, she was very interested.

Legislator: Isn't this your chance for an audience?

Page 8

Legislator: It's a special occasion, so why not bring your employee along to introduce him and go answer her questions?

Abeno: Ah?!

Legislator: Since it's like that...

Legislator: All members of the Mononokean must go to visit the Underworld Princess.

That's a "rule."

(Ashiya: GYAAAAAH!)

Page 9

(Ashiya: Gyaaaaah!!)

(Abeno: Shut up.)

Justice: Ashiya-kun, we've arrived.

Ashiya: Nn...

Page 10

Justice: Through here is how you get to the Princess's throne.

Ashiya: Golden flames...

Ashiya: The entrance sure is flaming, so how are we supposed to get in?

Justice: Just like this.

Ashiya:  Eh?!

Justice: Don't worry, it only burns if you've got negative intentions toward the Underworld Princess.

Ashiya: You're right... It's not hot.

Page 11

Abeno&Ashiya: !?

Ashiya: Now there are four entrances...

Abeno: Which one do we take?

Justice: For the audience chamber... This time it's the left-most one.

(Ashiya: Mr. Justice... You can let me down, you know?)

(Justice: I'm not gonna...)

Abeno: "This time" means there are more of those crossroads?

Justice: That's right, Itsuki. There's enough branching paths in this place to be a maze.

Ashiya: This time there's three hallways!

Page 12

Abeno: Even if an intruder managed to slip past those flames earlier,

They wouldn't be able to reach the Princess's throne with this kind of layout...

Justice: Some halls have traps set in 'em, too.

Be sure not to get lost.

Justice: ...Hm?

Justice: Ah... damn. Got it wrong...

Ashiya: Wha?!

Abeno: Ah?

Page 13

Foxes: Kon!

Abeno&Ashiya: ......

Abeno: ...Fox spirits?

Ashiya: How cute... (There's three of them...)

Justice: Itsuki. We're gonna run, so get on my back.

Abeno: !

Abeno: You mean... one of the "traps" is...

Fox: Koooon!

Page 14

Ashiya: Woah... Those are some huge hands...

Fox: Konn!!

(Ashiya: Uwaaaah!!)

Page 15

(Ashiya: Uwaaaah!)

Justice: Mmm... They're gonna keep chasing us... What a pain.

Abeno: Justice, we're reading another branched path.

Justice: This time, the way to go is this one.

Justice: Next is over here.

Justice: And then.... this one, I guess?

(Ashiya: Aaaaaahhh!!)

Abeno: !?

Ashiya: Uwah!?

Page 16

Princess: Release them.

Princess: They are not intruders.

Fox: Kon!?

Ashiya: !

Princess: The servants of the throne have treated you roughly.

Princess: Allow me to welcome you, master of the Mononokean, Abeno Haruitsuki, and employees of the Mononokean, Ashiya Hanae and Hairball.

Page 17

[Could this voice be the Underworld Princess...?!]

Fox: Kon.

Ashiya: Wah!

Justice: They did nothing wrong. I ended up picking the wrong hall...

Princess: So that's what it was... How unfortunate.

Princess: Justice. You must be tired from acting as a guide until now.

Princess: Please relax in the antechamber while I finish speaking with the Mononokean.

Justice: Even if you say that, I can't.

While Ashiya-kun is in the Underworld, I gotta watch him.

Unless it's somewhere I can keep an eye on him, then...

Page 18

Princess: I wish to speak with them alone.

Princess: Please, Justice...

Justice: !

Justice: ......

Justice: ...Well, if it's a request from the Princess.

Justice: Please take your time.

Page 19

Abeno: Divinity of the Underworld, Princess Kamo-wakeikazuchi-hime... This is the first time I've made your acquaintance.

Princess: Cough...

Princess: Cough...

Princess: ...I have heard of the Mononokean's activities from the Legislator.

Page 20

Princess: You all are human, however,

The devoted work you do to support demons is worthy of my confidence.

Abeno: Your words are too kind...

Princess: ...And...

About Mioya-hiko...

Abeno&Ashiya: !

Princess: ...How bad is Yahiko's condition?

Abeno: His symptoms are similar to yours, Princess, but he still has a healthy appetite and has enough energy to move around as he likes.

I delivered some of Kiyakudo's medicine to him, so as long as he continues taking it, he should recover soon....

Page 21

Abeno&Ashiya: (As long as he takes it properly everyday...)

Abeno: ...

Ashiya: ...

Yahiko: Ugh?! It's bitter!! And stinks!! It's horrible!! I hate medicine!!

Ashiya: Uwah?! He's spitting it out!?

Abeno: Force it in your mouth again and drink it.

Princess: If so, that's good, but...

Cough...

Princess: Cough,

Cough...

Abeno: Please don't push yourself if your body isn't feeling well...

Princess: (Cough...) I am alright...

I don't have a fever today, so... If the medicine is effective, I'll stop coughing as well...

Page 22

[Her condition does seem better, but

She still seems like a sick person...]

Princess: Cough...

Princess: (Cough..) Inari group one...

Can you retrieve my box of medicine?

Fox: Kon!

Ashiya: (They vanished.)

Abeno: Princess, is Koura absent?

Princess: Cough...

Princess: ...I let her return to Kiyakudo today.

I heard that you were coming to visit the throne...

Ashiya: ...?

[She had the Justice leave, too. It seems like she doesn't want anyone else besides us around...

Just why is that---]

Page 23

Abeno: If there is something you would like to speak about in secrecy, we promise that we shall not to reveal it.

Abeno: Not even to the three officials.

Princess: ...

Cough...

Princess: ...

Princess: .............

Princess: ...Abeno Haruitsuki.

There is something I must ask you.

Page 24

Princess: Do you think that Aoi is alive, even now?

Ashiya: ...!?

Abeno: No.

Princess: ...!?

Page 25

Abeno: Upon being possessed by the parasitic shrub, Aoi was infested by the curse and entered the forest.

Abeno: I don't think there's any possibility that they're still alive.

Princess: ......

Princess: ...That's true...

Abeno: ...It's just that, when thinking about it over and over again...

Abeno: Until their body is found, I would rather gamble on them being alive.

Page 26

Princess: The Legislator told me...

That only when Aoi's remains are confirmed, would you be able to accept it.

Princess: In other words, even now,

Princess: You won't give up on Aoi's survival.

Princess: ...I feel the same as you do.

Princess: There is no way to save demons that have been cursed by the parasitic shrub...

I realize that Aoi has to have passed away that same way.

Page 27

Princess: ...But... Somewhere deep down...

Princess: I cannot help but wish that they are still alive...!!

Princess: I had once prepared myself for their death, to respect that child's will, but...

Without anyone to take the throne if I collapse, I realize the magnitude of what was lost each day...

Princess: Aoi was... cough... a prodigy essential to the Underworld!

(And that child was also...)

(The only friend I could talk to, who didn't treat me as the Underworld Princess.)

Page 28

(Making other demons go into the forests in order to find Aoi,

Would be making them take a mission to risk their lives, with the threat of the curse.)

(...But humans can't be cursed.)

Princess: ....

Princess: I want Aoi to come back...!

Princess: Please, would you go to the forests to look for Aoi?

[fiti-vation]

Mind sharing what you’re passionate about and what your 2019 personal goals are?

That is a really good question dear, with so many layers to it. I am passionate about a lot of things quite frankly. Clearly, since I run a fitness blog, fitness is one thing I am passionate about. Anything that pertains to health, nutrition and well-being. As I’ve always said, I like being active and I view the human body as the most impressive machine built for performance. In fact, the body is a machine that must be taken care of if we want it to perform well for an extended period of time. Developing a passion for health and fitness will not only help with physical health, but it helps improve one’s mental health and overall well-being. In that regard, I don’t think I would ever have had a passion for fitness if it wasn’t for running. I am a passionate about running, I am passionate runner, a solo runner, a runner who runs with her soul not her sole.

I run because it’s my passion, and not just a sport. Every time I walk out the door, I know why I’m going where I’m going, and I’m already focused on that special place where I find my peace and solitude. Running, to me, is more than just a physical exercise… it’s a consistent reward for victory! Running changed my life… Once you get that blood moving, it’s show time!

Running 🏃🏾‍♀️: 

Running is a great metaphor of life; you get out of it what you put into it. It has taught me a lot more than I could ever have imagined. It has taught me about perseverance, failure – how to accept defeat, self-accountability, discipline, determination, but most importantly, running has completely changed my view of life. Running doesn’t only rejuvenate you physically… Actually, it has strengthened me not only physically, but mentally and spiritually. Simply put, it has taught me how to venerate my body, soul and mind. Through difficult times and good times, running has always been there for me. I can’t remember what I was doing before running. I guess procrastinating, watching TV, gaining nothing. Running pervades my life. I wouldn’t go as fa as to say it has crept into other part of my life; I would rather say it has become its own part of my life.Through running, I’ve found exhilaration, challenges, strength, confidence, inspiration, peace and friends. I have run in all directions- away from, toward, in circles. I have run through joy, sorrow, anger, pain and confusion. I have challenged myself again and again and have emerged from each test a stronger, more confident woman.

Getting into running during my first year of college was truly a blessing in disguise. 2010, that’s the year when, as a college freshman, I started running. Immediately I was enamored. I loved the sense of exploration, of challenging myself, of being outside in all kinds of weather. I loved the time alone, time to think about whatever came to my head. I loved seeing if I could go farther than I ever had or run a loop faster than I did the week before. I loved how I felt physically while running and how I felt mentally when I was done. When I joined the university track and field team the next fall, I learned to love running even more. Training with teammates, racing against those teammates, building toward a long-term goal – all this and more about being a competitive runner added a whole other layer of attraction to this most natural act.

*Note college and university are NOT the same thing in Canada as in the U.S. College and university aren’t used interchangeably in Canada – they are two distinct establishments.

On a different note but still in relation to running, I never truly felt good in my skin, but running changed that. It gave me confidence. When you start to feel good physically, mentally and spiritually, you start to enjoy and value yourself as you should. Inevitably, you start to spend more on yourself and your well-being – this brings me to my next passion: skincare.

Skincare – Nutricosmetics, Nutraceuticals and Cosmeceuticals 🧴💊

Not gonna lie, self-care is addictive lol. Prior to my healthy lifestyle, I really wasn’t taking much care of my skin (yikes), but when I got into fitness, I really started reading more about anything and everything that pertains to wellbeing – and skincare caught my attention, I learned that the skin is our largest organ. After learning that the skin is our largest organ – damn right I started taking good care of it lol 💆🏽‍♀️. I will forever be mad at my teenage self for not taking good care of my skin. Luckily, I started sooner than later (18 baby).  I know so much about skincare that at some point I seriously started contemplating doing a certificate in dermatology or becoming an aesthetic/cosmetic nurse 💉.

The skin covers the body and prevents water loss, protects the body from injury and infection, regulates body temperature, eliminates wastes (sweat), produces vitamin D with the help of sunlight, gathers information about the environment, stores fat for fuel and insulation.

As I became a skincare junkie, I discovered about nutricosmetics, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. The science behind these topics is quite interesting and fascinating. If one day you ever have some free time, I’d recommend reading on these topics.

Nutraceuticals are products, which other than nutrition are also used as medicine. A nutraceutical product may be defined as a substance, which has physiological benefit or provides protection against chronic disease.

Cosmeceuticals are the marriage of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Think: antioxidant plus lipstick or retinol plus face serum.Cosmeceuticals will contain active ingredients that are known to be beneficial to humans in some way,“ says Marie Jhin, MD, a dermatologist in San Francisco. “For example, vitamin C is a known antioxidant and when this is added to a lotion or cream the product is considered a cosmeceutical.” [X] If you’ve been following me for years, you know that I’m a Vitamin C advocate. Use it internally, topically – splurge yourself of Vitamin C! It did wonders to my skin.

Nutricosmetics - Beauty from Within: The term “Nutricosmetics” is a result of the fusion of “Nutraceuticals” and “Cosmeceuticals.” They are ingestible natural health products that enhance the function and appearance of an individual’s skin, nails, and hair. They are a range of beauty supplements and functional foods and beverages that claim to contain active ingredients and nutrients such as botanical actives, sterol esters, lycopene, enzymes, proteins, minerals, and vitamins that enhance beauty and are beneficial to health.  

Spirituality – motivational speaking, and coaching 🧘🏾‍♀️

In regard to running still, as mentioned earlier running has not only nourished my body, but also my soul and mind. Overall, it helped me grow as the individual that I am today. Although I like the person that I am, as mentioned previously I am in love with the person that I have the potential to be. Running reminds me that there is more to me than what is readily apparent much of the time. In feeding my mind and soul, running taught me that there is ALWAYS room for improvement. I am always pushing myself, so I can be a better version of myself.

Now, you have to wonder how I stay so motivated and determined all the time. The truth is that I do not think I would have had this buoyant strength in me to persevere, to succeed and to overcome the obstacles and difficulties of life, if it was not for all that running has taught me. I am very grateful for all the knowledge I have gained over the years through athletics. Running has humbled me in a way. In this respect, a poignant quote from Kareem Heshmat that deeply impacted me lately reads,

Now you…you know a lot about a lot, or a lot about a little, a little about a lot or a little about a little. You have an understanding of many more concepts than you give yourself credit for. You pick up facts here and there and form opinions that are worth sharing. Gather that knowledge into something useful; either implement that knowledge to bring about change in the world or pass it along to someone who will be inspired to do the same. Having knowledge means sharing knowledge.

It would certainly be selfish for me not to share this incredible knowledge that I have gained over the years. I am admittedly not the most knowledgeable fitness expert, but I believe that some can learn and relate with my journey. Fortunately for me, I was able to blossom as a strong individual. However, I recognize and acknowledge that I was and am privileged in a certain way, because the path to a healthy lifestyle is not the easiest - many fail all along this journey and / or never succeed.

Over the last 2-3 years, I have been really big on spirituality, soul searching, motivational speaking, and coaching. So, in the near future, I hope I can use all the knowledge I’ve gained over the years to inspire others to reach their full potential, whether that is physically, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, occupationally, socially, environmentally, and / or financially [see post on 7 dimensions of Health]. 

Uplifting Others is an investment that always pays back dividends, not necessarily from the outside, but for one’s own peace of mind and soul. In many ways, what we put out into the world is returned to us in the form of our own inner peace, happiness, contentment, and well-being. That makes developing passion for others into something that can really help with our peace of mind and place in life.

Nature 🍃

With regard to running and spirituality, I’ve found trail running to be so beneficial for my body and mind, and surprisingly, it made me learn to enjoy nature more than I did when I was younger. Trail running takes you up the mountain, over the river, and through the woods, and that often gives you a much more scenic view than we could ever hope for on an urban jaunt on the road. Trails just have a way of closing off the rest of the world and all of the chaos. Put simply, trail running is quiet and contemplative.

There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.

Miscellaneous 🖼🎨✈️👩🏾‍⚖️

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I have a lot of passions, but if I list them all, this post will never end. Those discussed above are my main ones, but I am also very passionate about social justice, art, and travelling.

Art: Art such as running is another of expressing oneself. At the end we’re all just searching for that tiny space, perhaps a hole that gives us shelter from the struggles of life.

Travelling:  Although Canada is the second largest country in the world and one of the most diverse, I would like to see what else is out there before being 30. I’d love to spend the rest of my 20s travelling. Traveling is so rewarding, not only for the mind but also for the soul. I love being around people and learning about different cultures and languages and as cheesy as it might sound, what I’d like to do is somehow combine these facts with the aim to help dismantle prejudices and unite people. On that note, this brings me to my next point.

Social justice: Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society is something we should all advocate for. Fighting against discrimination, prejudice and injustice has always been something dear to my heart, especially as a Black woman.

Personal goals 🗓

In terms of my personal goals for 2019, the year is almost over lol, so my expectations aren’t too high, but before the year ends as I’ve mentioned previously, I’d like to start a YouTube channel. I’m also in the process of writing my first eBook.

Some of my personal goals for the future include:• writing a visual cookbook;• writing a skincare tips book;• partaking in a marathon or bodybuilding contest;• having my own brand of supplement for elite athletes and bodybuilders;• creating fitness gear/compact and affordable gym equipments• doing a TED talk.

But most importantly I’d really love to turn my passion for fitness blogging into a full-time job, I’d like to be my own boss. One of my inspirations is Marc Fitt, what he has accomplished on his own is truly impressive. And he’s French Canadian. so I totally relate to him 😂 (Maple syrup, ketchup chips, poutine, you know 😂😭).

I’m speaking these goals into existence! 🙏🏽

[adalheidismimisbrunnr]

Daily Rituals

When we embark on a spiritual path, sometimes the path gets twisted and we feel we lose our connection to the Divine. This is totally normal and shouldn’t get you down! Sometimes we are too busy with the mundane to cater to our spirituality. But there are ways to include simple daily pagan rituals into your routine without a fuss. You don’t have to do every single one every day, pick and choose a few you could fit into your schedule and try to remember them. The key is to create a habit of your daily pagan rituals so that you don’t forget or don’t feel too guilty if you do! Without further ado, here’s my list of 30+ simple, daily pagan rituals.

30+ Daily Pagan Rituals

1. Light a candle

Many of us pyromaniacs already love burning candles in our homes, so why not make it a part of your daily pagan rituals? Light a candle and say a quick prayer of gratitude to your god or goddess or ancestors. Then go about your day.

2. Offerings for the Gods

Everyone thinks offerings are complicated…here’s a little secret – they’re not! Offerings can be anything you feel your god or goddess would enjoy food, beverage, water, incense, herbal blends, art, and poetry. Some gods enjoy a nice black cup of coffee in the morning. Some enjoy a portion of your dinner at night. Some prefer the scent of patchouli incense. Incorporate offerings into your daily routine and watch the blessings roll in!

3. Offerings for the Ancestors

Same as above – make offerings to your ancestors one of your daily pagan rituals. Did your granny like to steal sweet n’ lows? Add a couple to your ancestor altar for her. Did your Uncle enjoy bonfires? Light a candle for him in the evening.

4. Rise to Greet the Sun

If you’re an early riser, this should be a simple one – rising to greet the sun. Sit outside with your coffee and watch the sun rise. Bask in the glory of the star that gives life to this planet.

5. Runic Stadhas or Yoga

Edred Thorsson talks about runic stadhas in his book Elder Futhark. These are similar to yoga positions. So, whether you enjoy yoga or feel a connection to the runes, try physical positions like the runic stadhas or yoga on a daily basis. Even if you only do one or two in the morning to get your day started or in the evening to relax and connect.

6. Go for a Walk

Simply going for a walk outside is enough to relax you and re-connect with Mother Earth. Don’t have a lot of time to fit in a walk? Instead of sitting at your desk for lunch break, take your lunch outside and go for a walk afterward. Even if it’s only a ten-minute walk.

7. Dream Journalling

Keep a journal at your bedside. Before you even set foot on the floor in the morning, write down your dreams in a dream journal. This is a simple, yet effective way to tune into your higher self and gods – through dreams. The more you journal your dreams, the more dreams you will recall.

8. Meditate

You don’t have to meditate for an hour or even a half an hour. Pop in a set of earbuds and listen to a ten-minute relaxing guided meditation for free on YouTube.

9. Nature Signs and Omens

Throughout your day, pay attention to any nature signs or omens. This could be anything – a praying mantis on the windshielf, a blue jay that seems to repetitively visit you, a cloud in the shape of a heart, a snail that’s entered the house, etc. The gods and ancestors often use nature to communicate with us. This is one of the most enriching daily pagan rituals in my practice.

10. Light Incense

Just as you light a candle for your gods or simply to re-connect, light incense on a daily basis. Something about the scent of incense in the air puts me into an otherworldly state of mind. It is relaxing and grounding, too.

11. Read a Spiritual Book

Take fifteen minutes out of your day to read a spiritual book. Whatever topic you’re studying in the realm of paganism, set aside a little time daily to read and absorb what you are reading. Knowledge is power, after all.

12. Love Your Pets

Whether you have a dog, horse, or a hamster, set aside some time every day to love on your pets. This doesn’t seem like a pagan ritual, but anything done with intention and in a routine, can be a ritual. And what’s more pagan than loving on animals?

13. Light a Red Candle in the Kitchen

Keep a red candle in your kitchen. Light it in honor of the ancestors who came before you, who cooked hearthside to feed and nourish their families just as you do today!

14. CleanseYourself

One of those self-love daily pagan rituals is cleanse yourself. You don’t have to do this daily, but I promise if you do take up the practice, you won’t regret it. cleansing removes the negative debris stuck in your aura, helps to relax you, and to ground you after a long day of work.

15. Love Your Family

One of the most pagan things to do is to honor and love your family. Think back hundreds of years ago – what did your ancestors’ value back then? Life, love, and family. They focused on survival and did what they had to do to feed and care for their families. And it’s a good thing too, because you’re here because of them! Honor your ancestors by loving your family every day. Spend quality time with your family as a daily pagan ritual. Othala.

16. Write in Journal / BOS

Keep a record of your spiritual journey, traditions, and thoughts by writing them down in a spiritual journal or Book of Shadows. Take five minutes a day to write something down – even if it’s just your emotions or your thoughts in that moment.

17. Wear a Stone

Choose a stone to wear on a daily basis. This is a simple, small daily pagan ritual to do in the morning. If you can’t wear it, then put it in your pocket. Choose stones for protection, grounding, energy, etc.

18. Pray to the Gods

Take time in the morning while you’re getting ready for the day or take time just before falling asleep to say a simple prayer to the gods. Prayers of gratitude are best. The more grateful we are for the gods’ presence in our lives, the more blessings roll in.

19. Visit the Garden

Whether you keep an elaborate garden or just have a few plants and trees in your yard, take some time in the early morning or the evening to pay the garden a visit. You never know what wisdom the plants, trees, and wildlife have to share with you. I find garden visits comforting, peaceful, and enlightening.

20. Exercise

How is exercise a daily pagan ritual? In this modern day and age, everyone is so busy and sedentary. We don’t have the time to work out. But here’s the thing – we were gifted with these bodies by the gods/universe/ancestors and so we should be grateful for them and care for them just as we care for our spirits. Even if you just go for a run in the morning, do something to get your heart pumping every day. Make the gods proud.

21. Brew a Cup of Tea

Make brewing tea a daily ritual. Enjoy choosing your own loose-leaf herbs, hearing the tea kettle whistle on the stove, and then pouring the hot water over the herbs. Sit down, be quiet, and sip your tea while waiting for the Divine to speak to you.

22. “Smudge” Your House

Along the same lines of smudging yourself, smudge your house to rid it of any negative vibes or spirits. A quick smudging does the trick, even if it’s only ten minutes.

23. Rune or Card of the Day

Something I enjoy doing in the morning, draw one rune or one tarot/oracle card for the day. It might give you a sneak peek of what’s to come or just provide some sage advice. Either way – drawing one rune or card of the day is one of the easiest and enlightening daily pagan rituals.

24. Use Herbs in Cooking

Have a garden with herbs or vegetables? Use them in your cooking on a daily basis. If you don’t have a garden, choose spices from your kitchen cabinet for specific purposes. For example – cinnamon for money. Sugar to sweeten up situations and people. Rosemary for love. Etc.

25. Pray to the Ancestors

Just as you pray to the gods, pray to your ancestors as well. They enjoy hearing from you too.

26. Freshen Up Your Altar

Clean up your altar on a daily basis. This means dump those ashes off your incense burner. Dust off any dirt or debris. Refresh your offerings. Etc. Make your altar a place worthy of the gods and ancestors.

27. Gaze at the Moon

On nights when the clouds are clear, go outside and gaze at the moon. Feel the lunar rays on your skin.

28. Plan the Next Sabbat

Take time to plan the next sabbat. Write down ideas on traditions, rituals, food, etc. This is a fun daily pagan ritual to do with the whole family (if they are pagan, as well).

29. Call a Pagan Friend

On days you feel you need an extra boost of comfort or confidence, call a pagan friend. There’s nothing like talking to someone of like-mind and kindred spirit.

30. Ground and Center

With how crazy life can get, making grounding and centering a part of your daily pagan rituals can really do wonders for your health and wellbeing. Even if you touch a tree before going inside or walk around outside with bare feet, both of these rituals help.

31. Plan the Next Esbat

Just as planning the next Sabbat can be fun, so can planning your next Esbat. Plan an aura-cleansing bath on the New Moon – what herbs will you use? Will you use sea salt or epsom salt? Plan to do a releasing ritual on the next Waning Moon. What will you do next full moon? Write down your thoughts and ideas.

32. Research Your God/Goddess

In addition to reading a spiritual book once a day, spend a few minutes doing further research on your god or goddess. This can be online or in books. Read your god or goddess’ mythology, folklore, and history. This gives honor to your god or goddess and enriches your relationship with them.

[mtcaz]

Reflections from Ahran Lee

Ahran Lee was the artist-in-residence at Mt Caz during March of 2019. She was drawn to Mt Caz for the spaciousness and slowness it could offer her as she pondered questions about what sustainability looks like for an artist in today’s culture of go-go-go. The rainy wintery days of March were much needed for all of us. We are grateful that Ahran trusted us to hold space for her residency, and we are excited for the alchemy that occurred during our time together.

Here are some reflections in her own words, after the jump:

I came to Mt. Caz to reflect on my relationship to my process. Specifically, I wanted to examine how rest affects my creative spirit. Rest and reflection are vital elements to any creative process but sorely lacked in my own. What was it about rest that seemed elusive in my practice?

Since last May I’ve been struggling with a block. I wanted to make art but the muscle memory of how I used to work wouldn’t shake, and consequently, squashed my desire to make. I was so used to making art at the expense of my mental and physical health that it was more like an addiction than an art practice. Being hyper productive at all costs was my modus operandi. I would sit at my desk for hours, back hunched over, taking little to no breaks. What drove this pattern of behavior? On an ego level, I craved a self defined identity (detached from roles of daughter, wife, and other monikers I didn’t choose but were given to me) and being an artist felt the most freeing and an accessible entry point into self-assuredness. I also wanted to belong to a community of other artists. And it seemed like nonstop production was the currency to gain access into these communities. So I worked obsessively to put my artwork on social media platforms. It promised opportunities and exposure so it seemed like a natural place to grow my artist legs. I quickly learned that social media never stops. So I didn’t want to either. It didn’t seem like my artist peers were hindered by it or let alone questioning social media’s toxic affects on art. Resting felt wrong, even detrimental to my harder-better-faster-stronger practice I was cultivating. Unsurprisingly, I became reliant on social media. The likes and hashtags became cat nip for my insecure artist self. I let social media dictate how much to produce, when to produce, and what strategic messages to inject into my work to drive traffic to my tiny virtual corners on the internet. My practice was entirely governed by social media. My work no longer felt true to me and I started to lose the joy of creating. The dread of making art was so alarming that I couldn’t confront it initially. Art making became so precious to me that I relied on the rigid ways of thinking, making, and sharing my art. No rest, just make. No quiet, constant uploading. My body was screaming for rest yet my mind registered that as “that’s weakness talking, just push through the pain.” It felt like I was on a high speed train that wouldn’t stop unless it crashed into something. And, indeed, the metaphor became reality and I suffered a back injury from sitting too much at my desk. I was forced out of commission by my own body. This down time became open season for my demons to wreak havoc. Self critical judgments took residence in my art heart, art brain.

I used to wonder what other artists meant when they’d say things like, “every piece I make has a little piece of me in it.” I believe your process and work reflects back to you exactly where you are mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Your process has a way of showing you what your demons are, and if you’re not observant of how those demons affect you, it affects the quality of your work and the relationship to your creativity. When I look at the work I made during my hyper productivity period, I see obsession, perfectionism, and desperation. I initially blamed social media as the main villain who robbed me of creative joy. With hindsight, I know now that was a scared me trying to deny the real work that was ahead of me. I had to dive into my inner world and have tea with my shadows to seek answers. When the mind is allowed to run amok, all it does is generate noise. No spaciousness, only anxiety. What exactly about social media is harming my relationship to creating and my process? How do I unlearn these habits?

When the demons got too loud, it became clear to me that I needed an escape from my familiar environment. So I came to Mt. Caz to seek quiet and rest. If my mind couldn’t figure it out, why not let my tired body lead the way? The initial reintroduction to quiet and rest was comical and awkward at times during my stay at Mt Caz. I celebrated seemingly trivial joys of the mundane such as jumping on my bed for shits and giggles and taking a nap. These felt like huge victories because it meant that my body was acclimating to the healing medicine of rest. In between these moments of celebrating, however, I also experienced guilt around needing and engaging in rest. I felt like I didn’t deserve it, my imposter syndrome was at a level 10, and I had trouble sleeping the first couple of nights in Terra Incognita. I even started to force myself into making art when it wasn’t satisfying. I thought I was wasting my time not making art at an artist residency. Even with Christina and Albert’s blessings that I didn’t need to justify my residency by creating something, I felt insecure about doing nothing. Am I still an artist when I’m not making anything? Where do I get my motivation to make if social media isn’t a dominant part of my practice? I gave up on the grandiose ideas of making new work at Mt Caz and forced myself to rest and sit with whatever demon came up to chat with me. The more I resisted the rest, the more anxious my mind got, and the self critical voice got louder.

Maybe it was the actual lack of noise pollution in Corvallis. Maybe it was the forces of the winter cold that made me more present minded and aware of the natural space I was occupying. Maybe it was the consistency of Albert’s work schedule and morning routines that grounded me in an otherwise structureless time-space. Maybe it was the sounds of Christina’s shuffling house slippers that felt soothing. Maybe it was the nightly dinner conversations between the three of us that invigorated my mind in a different way. Maybe it was learning how to play an ukulele and feeling musically vulnerable with Christina and Albert. Maybe it was just being in an unfamiliar space. Maybe it was meeting other creatives and talking about their creative struggles. Maybe it was the aimless walks I took in the Mt Caz neighborhood. Maybe it was Christina and Albert’s permission to not make that finally sunk in.  Maybe it was playing to just play. It was the totality of the aforementioned that led me to just be. Doing anything and nothing, whenever, wherever, without judgement. The anxiety noise around not making subsided once I surrendered to rest. Eventually, my body started to guide my decision making, not my mind.

I dropped into my body and I could finally hear myself again. The message was loud and clear: when you surrender to rest, spaciousness manifests. And when the body experiences nourishing rest, the quality of your work and process gets revitalized. I jokingly called my AIR as rehab or a detoxing experience. It really did feel that way. The withdrawal, emotional and psychological angst, the frustration and impatience, the resistance to stillness and quiet, the self hating, and then the unexpected peace and clarity. I remembered what it was like to know what I want, separate from the illusory shoulds I create to justify aimless productivity.

The biggest takeaway from my Mt Caz AIR experience was that I returned to myself. I could hear myself without distractions. I cultivated a body conscious knowing. I read the introduction to Pema Chödrön’s “When Things Fall Apart” before coming to Mt Caz and wished so desperately that I too could surrender to rest. And I think I got a glimpse of what Pema was talking about:

“It was the most spiritually inspiring time of my life. Pretty much all I did was relax. I read and hiked and slept. I cooked and ate, meditated and wrote. I had no schedule, no agenda, and no ‘shoulds.’ A lot got digested during this completely open and uncharted time.”

~Ahran Lee

If you would like to hear more from Ahran, catch her on Episode 4 (”Don’t Forget the Joy”) and Episode 6 (”Finding Inspiration is a Practice”) of our podcast Dispatches from Mt Caz.

[findtechnologystudio]

How To Unlock The Energy Of Vanity In Your Day

Till just recently, whenever I listened to words vanity, a significant component of me always felt it was a cosy phrase with little bit of significance: an improperly crafted "self help message" along with little capability to relocate the needle in my lifestyle. Kid, was I mistaken!

Vanity is not the most convenient of concepts to grasp at. While words appears pretty straight forward, comprehending its own implications calls for some reflection as well as individual technique. By checking out this idea closely, I found out a new method of considering myself and the activities around me.

Self Improvement Tips

Loving oneself is something we take for given. "How can easily I possibly NOT adore myself" you would certainly presume, yet when you take a look at it carefully, you'll notice tiny terms as well as little motions you tell on your own that do not originate from an area of vanity.

Vanity is actually certainly not simply a state of feeling good. It is actually a state of gain for oneself that increases coming from activities that assist our physical, mental, and also spiritual development. By analysis self improvement tips, you can easily enhance on your own.

Vanity is actually compelling, and also it disperses by means of process that grow us. When we behave in manner ins which grow vanity in us, it is actually less complicated for us to welcome our weak spots and also our advantages, have less require to justify our disadvantages, possess even more concern for our own selves as well as others. We are extra straightened with what we perform, take additional ownership of our life, and handle our power a lot better!

Vanity is also a strong remedy to damaging self-talk. When we are not being present in our day and also are mindlessly wandering, our brain tends to possess a nonpayment posture where it critiques our own selves or others by concentrating on what is WRONG. In these occasions, we usually tend to shows up thoughts concerning:.

What we can have come back in the past.

The things we don't such as regarding ourselves in the present.

Or what could go wrong in a situation in the future.

Focusing on nourishing our mindfulness and also self-awareness thereby ends up being an essential ailment if we alter our inner story, manage anxiety much better, and also develop a condition inside us aimed in the direction of openness and also positivity. Check out our makingyourowntrail site for effective information about self improvement tips right now.

What's more, as we are social varieties, our survival is dependent on being actually adored and belonging amongst people. We require to create sure that our behaviours as well as qualities are going to support this if we require to be and be part of loved.

I made use of to presume being actually generous will be a wonderful method to engage in love and also vanity yet what I became aware after some time of self-observation, is that I may only be actually really generous with others if I enjoy myself. When I love on my own, I "do not require to be generous" as unselfishness is actually currently a natural effect of the state that I am actually, straightened to my very most authentic to on my own. Simply put, generosity ends up being simple. If you enhance your own self, you should read through tips to self improvement.

So what are actually methods to practice vanity?

Gratefulness.

While life can feel a bit of a roller coaster, if you appear very closely, you will definitely find that it's full of trainings to aid us comprehend what is actually absolute best for us.

Even though it could certainly not regularly be simple to find initially, if we focus on being open and also inviting the celebrations in our life as a chance for development and personal improvement, our connection with all of them changes. We relocate from a perception where our company believe life happens to us to one where life occurs for us.

When performed only prior to going to mattress or right prior to beginning your time, thanksgiving is actually an easy habit that comes to be specifically powerful. It's a fantastic way to specify your mind as well as center in the right direction allowing you to absolutely appreciate wonderful minutes in your time while all at once cementing moments inside you.

It ultimately leads to the creation of stronger affiliations inside your mind enabling you to take on that feeling along with better simplicity. Ultimately, it will certainly even become a behavior. Exactly how wonderful is that?

Mercy.

Maybe one of one of the most overlooked factors when it involves self-love, yet the best vital.

We tend to be our greatest critics and also while to a particular level it's reasonable, it's the tone we select to address our own selves that is actually commonly disadvantageous.

When we discover to resolve our own selves in an extra forgiving technique, we can observe regarded "shortcomings" as a possibility for growth, allowing us to proceed in our lives with better function and positivity.

It is actually pretty crystal clear that we are certainly not best and making oversights belongs to the video game. Using this in thoughts, being rough on our own selves can easily not only hinder our self-respect however likewise drain our power levels, create more concern in us, and thus much less likeliness to behave.

Flexible our own selves coming from an area of passion and certainly not of battle, creates us even more resilient and urges us to make an effort once more, only this time along with additional positivity.

Intentionality.

It inevitably refers to the idea of placing even more passion in what we perform. Our day is loaded with micro-moments, the extra we associate with them by placing intentionality in what we do, the a lot more we can convey our ultimate US no matter if our goal is to boost our performance or experience a healthier work-life balance.

Focusing on who we want to be, how we want to experience, and what we desire to achieve allows us to open a space within us. Below, we examine our lifestyle coming from a spot of great quantity where every celebration exemplifies an opportunity to open our hearts and also like our own selves and also others.

This magic triad of Thanksgiving, Mercy, and also Intentionality is a effective and also effective energy administration resource which if practiced with care and congruity, are going to widen your perspective as well as open you up to the opportunity of a brand-new life where "shortage" will certainly no longer hold you back.

[witchywitchstudies]

Witchy note before beginning New Moon Ritual:

Snow brings so much to me

I love and appreciate what it symbolizes to me as well

Rebirth- growth, refreshed. Restart. Build over. Covering footsteps of the past. Leaving no trace or clear boundary of where earth and water begin. Reflection, light bearing, soft, beautiful but also dangerous if not respected. (Not very different from Lava now that I think about it!)

Being able to gaze upon it, especially while reflecting with friends from the heart over the phone, has been such a healing experience.

I think seeing beauty in front of me helped me process the beauty in everything and the beauty that was happening now and around me- with our conversation and time together, and even helped me see the beauty in me- which I will say is rare for me to be aware of, that self reflection and self love. (Have I ever realized over the past few days, how life is definitely a team sport! At least for most of us- I imagine the only people that don’t, live a solo life- in the woods/mountains- in a cabin chopping wood, etc.)

I feel Nature could be the best medicine for any ailing mind, body, spirit, even soul. Or someone experiencing all of the above.

Just wish I could remember its with me everywhere, and able to be carried anywhere- my hands, feet, eyes, ears, etc.

Best way to help me fight those unwanted animalistic behaviors humans biologically have on the daily, yo.

Fight those unwanted animalistic behaviors I feel don’t help me be the best that I am. Nature, help remind me that I am human, and human only. Full of imagination, power of creation, light and love, but also mistakes and unrealized behaviors. We must walk in self-love, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and humor.

Hope/Wonder probably wouldn’t hurt either. ;)

Alright! New Moon Ritual Time!

Sat. ~2:30PM

Notes for New Moon Seeds taken earlier in the week:

It’s a New Moon today

And it’s starting to snow for the next 4 days

Pretty magical and awesome

What seeds do I want to plant for this next moon cycle?

Goals/Interests:

—Start research/first steps towards becoming educated in Social Justice, Human Rights, and how to properly be an activist.

— First steps towards being an activist, sign up for Social Justice and Human Rights and Civil Rights (taking the next steps following the above)

— Research Viking/Nordic/pagan similiar gender fluid terms/genders

— Start a Patreon Draft-write out draft/business plan/purpose/schedule; post weekly versus bi-weekly, mental health, social justice, art process, personal facts, personal art, the development and maintanence of the artist artistically, spiritually, physically and mentally-etc- nail it down to x amount of topics, etc., goodies, etc.

— Practice walking in Self-Love every day. Build Ego strength, confidence, emotional IQ and awareness. Take note of what self image/identity/ptsd flags are

— Rituals- draft pm and reasses am

— Reading book list

— Create create create, draw draw draw

— Wolf Paw Pins!!!

— Organize (and maybe prioritize?) big goals- patreon, comic, tarot deck, store merch-schedule timing of releases(if do able), twitch/discord, super hero personaetc.

Animals popping up-

Hearing humminbird

Raccoon stories

Coyote stories

Bear stories

Have been really digging listening to podcasts made by WOC - “Thanks For Your Concern” and “The Self- Love Fix” podcast to name a few

Been really enjoying the work rituals that have fallen into place- naturally happened. Maybe feel that out with home as well?

I’ve been heavily enjoying journaling during my break, and listening to motivating self love podcast.

Gives me a sense of calm. Peace. Closeness to self, or at least closer before approaching an unpredictable day. (A fear I am working more on facing- unpredictability. A moment of calm/self time/moment/quiet/no distractions/focus/freshness before doing anything, especially outside, helps a lot in this area.)

This cycle’s crystal pack: Business, Motivation, Self-Love, Creativity, Human/Civil/Social-Justice/Rights, Identity

Fluorite: Business, motivation, creativity, self-work

Jade: Business, justice,

Lodestone: business, motivation, spirituality (find your path),

Malachite: Business, self work, transformation

Tiger’s Eye: creativity, success (business), self-work,

Tourmaline: business, self-work, transformation, self-love

Amethyst: Justice, self-work, creativity

Carnelian: Justice, creativity, self—work,

Rose Quartz: Justice, self-love

Tarot Reading: (2 cards fell out, as soon as I started to ask- and got paranoid they were not the cards. I looked at them anyway, just in case. Guess what. I shuffled, cleared the mind, shuffled, cut the deck and pulled the bottom of the deck- rare for me to do for the moon ritual. ALL THAT IS HOLY. The cards were the same xD Hilarious. Thank goodness my deck and the universe is so kind, especially with my suspicions and paranoia. XD)

Ace of Wands: Good Judgement needed more than ever, don’t rush into it. Thrilling to embark on new journey- growth all around, ideas and outlook expand, creativity seems endless. Fertile time- Expansion and Inspiration

The Sun (Also in last Full Moon’s reading): Spend some extra time outside today, be grateful for the radiance of the sun and the life force it gives all creatures. Soaking in warm rays- nourishing, healing, all aches and pains fade away. Sun brings amazing energy into life, Vitality and health abound-feel assurance and clarity in all doings- Vitality, enlightenment.

As a story/together: interesting- there is something big in the center for both of these cards. The Ace of Wands- the center is a radiating blooming wand- (Ume? Shinya and I were talking about? Blooming before spring?) Surrounded by a white light/glowing, and radiating yellow to orange to red, outward. Beautiful. The sun card is bordered with doves flying in each corner direction, away from the center, two up and two down, NE, SE, SW, NW- the center, red hot black sun. Radiating from the darkness, rods, strands, energies, beams, fractals of light, energy, saturation, color and burst-forth ness, but smoothly, from the center of eternity and forever- it seems. Vitality. Goes from black, to red, to orange, to yellow, to green at the birds, and blue beyond that. Radiating further outward when coming from the depths. Ace of wands powerful, beautiful, radiant, but the Sun is vibrant- beaming from a deeper darker place, but shining and bringing forth oh so much light and warmth. Ooooo.. tell-tale of self reflection, love and how it will help me fight for justice?

Rune Reading:

Fehu (again interestingly) - Wealth, especially-

“livestock, especially cattle. Latin made the same associations—our word “pecuniary” comes from the Latin pecus, a cow—demonstrating that for the early Indo-Europeans, wealth was not only transferable, but could move under its own power. Like the Celts, the early Germanic peoples were a cattle culture. Dairy products were a staple of the diet. The most valued beasts were kept through the winter in one end of the communal longhouse. The animals which could not be fed until spring were sacrificed to honor the gods and feed the people. One way or another, wealth was counted in cows.

Wealth to be guarded, not hoarded- “Nor should it lull one into a false sense of security. Welcome though it may be, it must be taken as a gift of the gods. Neither the fruits of the earth nor the love of others can ever be owned (the last verse implies a special warning not to treat women as property!). They are loaned to us only, to be used productively and shared with others. True riches are the wealth the soul gains from a life well-lived.”

“Meanings ascribed to this rune by modern commentators range from the mystical to the practical. Willis believes that the kind of wealth represented by cattle is that which grows when cared for, which can produce more money when wisely invested, but that the rune sometimes means the need to conserve resources. Thorsson, on the other hand, sees in the rune motion and expansion of power, mobility, luck, and fertility.

FEHU is always a rune of productivity, though the context may vary. Spiritual or artistic creativity, physical fertility, or the ability to create or to maintain wealth can be indicated, or it may signify an improvement in one's finances or health.

FEHU is one of the runes used to invoke passion, productivity, and prosperity in a couple being married. (And gardening growth/nourishment!)

Advice Card Reading: (The Four Agreements)

Be Ware of Unconcious Assumptions

Become a White Witch (with my word as well- the biggest!)

[theurbanspiritguide]

Mindfulness for your Day to Day

Let's talk about Mindfulness for your day to day. I know there is a formal definition of mindfulness and many interpretations of what it truly means. But I am going to share my own interpretation from my years of existence and practice. Mindfulness is your sincere response-ability; your ability to respond with sincerity.

If you break that apart, it means you are thoughtful, you are present, and you are taking ownership of your own well-being and the well-being of the whole. Being mindful is putting the full power of your mind in your control. One area you have full control with is the power to choose and the power to change your mind.

"Mindfulness is your sincere response-ability; your ability to respond with sincerity."

Align with the frequency of Mindfulness

To respond with sincerity requires one to have some level of self-mastery, which is not learned over night. Self-mastery is the journey, to which mindfulness is an ingredient that adds value to the whole. Mindfulness is a lifestyle. You align with the frequency of what mindfulness represents and radiate that out into the world in your day to day interactions.

It first requires your desire to be mindful. For you to "choose" to be mindful. To be sincere with your thoughts, words, and actions toward yourself and others.

Like yoga or martial arts, there is a physical/intentional "on the mat" practice for mindfulness. But the real work is in your daily interactions, which is your life experience.

“Like yoga or martial arts, there is a physical/intentional "on the mat" practice for mindfulness.”

You see, you are a communication device with the intelligence to control what you receive and what you give. And you are always communicating and interacting with something or someone, even if only with yourself. You practice your mindfulness on the mat so that you can re-mind yourself to embody it in all your interactions and communication experiences.

How do you do this? With Desire, Intention, and Action interwoven with Observing, Witnessing, and Contemplating. But first, let’s start with the five practical contemplation ideas and practices for the workplace.

“Self-mastery is the journey, to which mindfulness is an ingredient that adds value to the whole.”

Five Mindfulness Contemplation Ideas and Practices

I have identified five ideas to contemplate and bring into practice regularly. I say contemplate because mindfulness is not really something that I can give you. It can only be aligned with from within.

I can show you where to look, but you choose to interact. As you read this, take notes on what the ideas and practices mean for you. Jot down how you might engage with and take the practice forward in your day to day. 

You may come up with an idea or practice that works better for you. You are in total control with what you allow and receive in your space, I am just the conduit bringing the information through.

“I can show you where to look, but you choose to interact.”

1. Identify your Mindfulness reset zone

Your reset zone is a mindfulness place, space, or energy where you can go to clear out the chaos. Where you can come to your center and your purpose. This allows for openness and receptivity in the present moment. Having it identified and ready to apply at any time is great for those busy days and when things get hectic.

Identify     your specific reset zone activity and space/place.

Set     reminders (re-mind-ers)     for your reset zone activity.

Re-Mind yourself to slow down,     relax, and take a rest.

2. Start with gratitude, presence, and consideration

I know this may sound silly but live today as if it were today. Live in this moment as if it were this moment. In doing this you honor the holiness of now and of self and others. It is easy to get entangled with what was, what you could or should have done, or what might be in the future. But when you do that, you miss the now.

Find just     one thing you are truly grateful for each day.

Be present     to experience everything and present with everything you are choosing to     experience.

Be     considerate of your emotions and mental space. Take a time-in if     necessary.

Be     considerate of time. Allow time and space to prepare for and integrate     your engagements.

3. Bring it back to Vision/Mission/Purpose/Goal

Bringing it back to vision allows you to align with your goal’s frequency. It allows you to move with mindfulness in your goal’s direction. When you know the goal, you prepare the environments (inner and outer) in a manner that is the most nourishing to meet that goal. This provides for the greatest health for all involved.

Align     with/Remember the goal for every engagement

Keep     asking why. Why are you doing this. What is your why.

Have     awareness with the goal, but be present with and walk the path.

4. Master your communication skills

We communicate on many levels; Physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, and vocally. And we are always communicating. Mastering this skill gives so much. It provides you the ability to offer your gifts and skills, to add value, and to be helpful.

Be honest     and gain awareness with your emotions, feelings, and thoughts.

Practice     being impeccable with your thoughts, words, and actions.

Be mindful     with your words, the specific language you use.

Listen     with the intent to understand.

5. Be open and flexible

When you are open and flexible, you can bend, flow, and move in any direction. There are no restrictions, there is no resistance, and your agility is contagious. It gives others permission to align with the same. Here you are learning and teaching love, the open expression of the energy of the universe, the thread that weaves us all together.

Be open to     change(s), new ideas, and different viewpoints.

Let go of     expectations, those you have of self and others

Identify     where you take things personally or are stuck in an old program, pattern,     or belief system.

And those are the five mindfulness contemplation ideas and practices for mindfulness in your day to day. To recap, the 5 practices are

Identify     your reset zone

Start with     gratitude, presence, and consideration

Bring it     back to Vision/Mission/Purpose/Goal

Master     your communication skills

Be open     and flexible

Listen to the Podcast

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Reverend Katherine Ganev Soto, The Urban Spirit Guide is an Intuitive Sensitive Empath. She has been providing Spiritual Guidance and teachings since 2007.

She is here to learn and teach love, to heal and master thyself. And to help other Intuitive Sensitive Empaths (aka Divine Super Souls) heal and master themselves.

She is the creator of the “Turn Yourself In! Self-Mastery for Intuitive Sensitive Empaths” podcast and program..

You can find her on social media via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. She is a teacher on InsightTimer and publishes podcasts on Heart Over Ego Radio. You can email her at kiofg@hotmail.com.