On this day of your life

I believe God wants you to know ...

... that you will only benefit from resisting the temptation

to think immediately about the worst possible outcome.

When something comes up, when something happens

in your life, that disrupts the easy "flow," it is always

better to bless it than to damn it. Try to see it as nothing

serious. It most cases, it will not be.

Jumping to conclusions mired in negativity only thwarts

the process by which your mind can stay clear, and

thus find a way out of the momentary dilemma.

Creating a Path to Deeper Wisdom (MB)

Michael Berg

MAY, 2018

In the Haftorah of the portion Beha’alotcha, the reading from Zechariah, the prophet has a vision of the high priest, and it says the Satan – the global force that's trying to stop any individual from connecting to the Light of the Creator - was standing to his right. The right side represents the positive, the spiritual work, and the left side represents the negative, or selfishness. And while most of us know that the Satan is very much involved in selfishness and negative actions, we often forget that the Satan is there also for the positive actions.

"THE RIGHT SIDE REPRESENTS THE POSITIVE, THE SPIRITUAL WORK..."

Rav Ashlag explains that if it said the Satan was sitting on the left side, it would mean that He was trying to get somebody to be selfish or do something negative. But that's not what it says in the prophecy. It says Satan is standing on the right side, in the spiritual work. So, what is the Satan doing in the spiritual work? Rav Ashlag says the Satan is telling us it is good enough to have been inspired by a concept we just learned, but that we don't need to go deeper into it.

So, I want to focus on what Rav Ashlag says surrounding the concept of klipot, which literally means “shells.” When a person has no great desire to learn deeply, it doesn’t come from us; there is this force, the Satan, that is involved in the spiritual work, telling us to study, but not to go too deep, telling us to take just a little bit in, because it's too much for us. It is not us telling ourselves that yes, some wisdom we learned helped a little bit, but we don't want to go further, because we don't want to change so much… that's Satan. It is the Negative Side, the klipot, saying not to go deeper.

Often, when we think about our spiritual work, for example the concept of devekut, complete unification with the Light of the Creator, it's a positive concept. But we have to be aware that the Satan is standing there, saying, “It's okay to study, but stop there. Don't delve deeper.” As such, if we don't understand that the spiritual work, specifically the study of Kabbalah and the Light of the Zohar, is where the Satan is going to come in and try to stop us, then we're never going to get anywhere. If we think that spirituality or the path of Kabbalah is one that can be a positive spiritual journey, that's not right, because the Satan is going to stand there and try to stop us in different ways. The specific way Rav Ashlag is speaking about here where the Satan tries to stop us is the klipa saying, “Go only so deep, and not further.” This is why so many people are okay having only a surface, basic understanding.

"THERE IS A SHELL AROUND THE DEEPER KNOWLEDGE."

Many are willing to take off the klipa, the shell, but not delve further to eat the fruit, and are therefore not connecting to the important part; they're only connecting to the klipa. And the negative actions of an individual give strength to all the klipot, and they then affect the individual by coming to him and saying, “You understand enough, you don't have to go any deeper,” therefore keeping them from truly delving into the knowledge and wisdom. This is a very important concept. It is not our choice when we don't go deeper; it's our Satan, our klipot. So, we have to begin with the understanding that all of us, on some level of our spiritual work and spiritual understanding, have those shells. And those shells aren't out of nowhere. Those shells, as Rav Ashlag explains, are the effects of our negative actions.

It says that when the Ari, Rav Isaac Luria, would study, he would sweat. And he said that when he was sweating, he was breaking a klipa, because he knew that he had to break all his own klipot in order to reach new levels of understanding. Therefore, no matter what we understand at this point, how much spiritual work we’ve done, or how much wisdom we think we gained, we need to know that there is a lot of truth and necessary delving deeper that we haven't done, because the Satan is standing there, saying, “Enough. Don't go further. Don't go to the knowledge that we need to get to.” 

And therefore, it begins with this understanding that there is a shell around the deeper knowledge that we need to learn and the deeper work that we need to do. We need to beg, and the begging has to be based on the fact that we know there's a strong klipablocking us from our deeper understanding and from our true spiritual work. Because if we have a true yearning and desire to break the klipot and create a path through our shell into the truth, into what our knowledge and spiritual work should really be, then we can get that deeper knowledge. It is a very important teaching on the way in which we need to focus our spiritual work.

Daffodils (OM)

by Madisyn Taylor Almost nothing else represents the emergence of spring, as the beloved yellow daffodil, happy and bright after a long winter's nap. Some things on this earth look as if they were designed to bring happiness to the hearts of humans. The daffodil, with its bright yellow coloring and green stem, is one such creation. The daffodil makes its appearance in the spring, abundant and inexpensive, bringing gladness as sure as sunshine itself to whoever is lucky enough to receive a single stem, or a bunch, of these delicate yellow miracles. It is as if the sun has shed a layer of skin and fashioned a flower out of it. Color psychologists suggest that too much yellow can be too stimulating, but in small doses it inspires hope and good cheer. The daffodil is a perfect-sized package of yellow for anyone feeling glum or energetically low. It can spur us to action or simply imbue us with a feeling of optimism as it vibrantly glows in our homes or on our desks at work. The daffodil's presence is ideal in any region where sunshine is scarce as it seems to carry the sun in the soft flesh of its petals. The bulbs are not expensive, and the flowers give so much that you may decide to plant a few in your yard or in a window box. Then again, you may simply wait until they arrive in neat little bundles in the grocery store or flower shop. They are usually very reasonably priced, so you can afford to spoil yourself, and those you love, with a large bouquet. A daffodil placed under the windshield wiper of a loved one's car says, "Be happy! Spring has sprung! I love you!" A collection of stems gathered and placed in a Mason jar can be left on someone's doorstep to remind them of the simple beauties that abound in this life. Don't forget to bless yourself with a vase of these bright blossoms on your kitchen table or nightstand. Every time you see them, you will be filled with the happiness and warmth of the sun.

The 3 Reasons to give up Meat (& One not to).

Via Ben Ralston 

The 3 reasons to be vegetarian.

I’m not talking about:

• > Vegetarians who take it literally – eating nothing but vegetables.
• > Lazy vegetarians, who eat pizza for dinner, left over pizza for breakfast, and pasta with a jar of tomato sauce for lunch. They’re not real vegetarians. They’re just pretending, and it won’t last.
• > Self-righteous moralizing goody-goodies who like to make other people feel bad by making themselves feel better; trying to convert them to become as self righteous as they are. That’s not what it’s about. They just didn’t grow up yet. They will.

The real vegetarians are people who know what I’m talking about…they eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses, grains, seaweeds…and whatever other yummy stuff they can get their hands on (okay, apart from meat – more on that later). They also recognize that in order to really feel their best, some spiritual practice is required. So as well as eating a balanced diet, they live a balanced life: striving always for the proper mix of material and spiritual aspiration.

So, three reasons you should either pat yourself on the back for keeping it real, or consider changing to a healthier, more sustainable, and ethical way of eating:

1. Your Health

I don’t care what anyone says. Yes, you’ll find doctors who disagree with me on this, but I wouldn’t pay much attention: doctors, despite their many years of brainwashing (oops, did I say that out loud?) education often haven’t got much of a clue about what health is. They’re too busy fixing problems.

Being vegetarian is much better for your health than eating a diet that includes animal products.

Rather than asking doctors for unbiased truth, you’re better off asking insurance salesmen. I know that might sound funny but I’m very serious (as always): there’s a lot of money in insurance. That means that they get things right. So ask your insurance company – do they give better premiums for people who are vegetarian? Often they do – why? Because they know that there is less chance you’ll get heart disease or cancer (two of the biggest causes of premature death?) if you’re vegetarian. They know that as a vegetarian, you’re more likely to live longer, and they’re less likely to pay out. Yup, it comes down to simple economics.

So, why is it healthier to be vegetarian?

Why do we eat? Primarily for energy. That energy comes from the sun. All energy comes from the sun, in one way or another. (Even oil, when you think about it, is bottled sunlight – sunlight that fell to the earth millions of years ago and was fossilized and buried for a long time, but sunlight nonetheless!)

When you eat a plant-based diet, you are getting that sunlight directly:

• Plant absorbs the sun’s energy
• Photosynthesis occurs
• You eat the plant, and
• Bingo! You absorb the energy and feel goood!

When you eat a meat-based diet, you are getting second hand sunlight:

• Plant absorbs sunlight
• Photosynthesis occurs
• Cow eats plant
• Digests plant and
• Gets sunlight directly
• Then you eat the cow, and
• Get a little of that sunlight, but let’s face it, not much.

To digest that meat takes a lot of work for little energetic reward. It’s not worth it!

Health (as I said in the article linked to above) is not just about avoiding sickness. It’s about feeling fantastic. Yes, there are many people who eat meat and avoid sickness, there’s no disputing that. However, I believe that generally, it’s possible to feel more fantastic eating a vegetarian diet than it is eating meat. The reason being simply that your body will be lighter – yes, most likely in terms of weight, but also and more importantly in terms of photons. Your body actually contains light. You are light. That’s why we eat sunlight and drink water. That’s what we are.

‘Yes’, I hear you say, ‘but we’re also meat’. Well, sure, but do you want to feed the dense, gross, material aspect of yourself, or the subtle, light, spiritual aspect of yourself. That’s what it comes down to on the issue of health, and I know what I choose.

You are what you eat. The reason it’s a cliché is because it’s true – every culture has an equivalent saying. However, and please pay close attention to this: it’s not just your body that IS what you eat. It’s every aspect of you. What you eat is reflected in your thoughts, your desires, your senses, your emotions, your deeper feelings… every aspect of your consciousness. YOU ARE what you eat.

2. The Environment

Our environment is… messed up. (I’m trying to give up swearing. It’s tough sometimes. This is one of those times).

‘What has the environment got to do with meat’ you might ask? Well, a lot.

As Ramesh Bjonnes pointed out in his recent article on the connection between meat consumption and global warming, the meat industry is now considered by many to be the leading contributor to global warming; more so “than all forms of transportation combined”! Wow. Or as they say here in Slovenia, land of forested hill-top churches and castles and bees: Uau.

Also:

• Meat is not economically viable: it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh.
• A huge amount of land is required to graze livestock and grow the grain necessary to feed that. That land could be put to much better use. Not to mention the issues of soil erosion, desertification, and threat to indigenous species that are implicit with overgrazing. Or the rain-forests that have been cut down to make space for that land…
• The meat industry pollutes massively. The VAST amount of water necessary for the rearing of animals and  growing their feed, gets polluted; the land gets polluted (from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feedcrops, and sediments from eroded pastures.); eutrophication occurs.
• The meat industry is responsible for biodiversity loss on the planet. Care much about the thousands of species that are becoming extinct every year?

3. The Animals

There are about 6 billion of us humans on the planet. Each year in the U.S. alone (not counting China, or Europe, or anywhere else – just the U.S.) around ten billion animals are slaughtered (source: Wikipedia). I believe this may be a very conservative estimate – I’ve seen estimates of up to 40 billion. Nevertheless, if you think of this on a global scale, and then factor in the fish: you realize that the meat industry is actually responsible for the slaughter of many, many times more beings than there are people on the planet. Each year it starts all over again. How many animals and fish is that in my / your lifetime? I dread to think, but if you want you can do the math.

However, that’s only one side to the story: how a being lives is more important than how it dies. How do the vast majority of these animals live: in squalor and without dignity. Think of the worst Nazi concentration camp, and you’re halfway there.

I have no quarrel with killing an animal for food. Try telling the Inuit that they shouldn’t eat fish, or the indigenous people of Tibet that it’s cruel to eat Yak – they’ll laugh long and loud.

But what a difference there is between killing an animal with respect and dignity, out of necessity, and ‘growing’ animals industrially with no basic rights (fresh air, clean water, a little space) in order to slaughter them in a manner that is at best cruel, but usually amounts to torture.

Scientists tell us that everything is energy. What happens to the energy of suffering, pain, and indignity caused by our meat industry? Because you know, energy cannot be created or destroyed, only converted to another form. What happens to that energy I wonder? What happens to it…?

****

Well, I’ve listed 3 good reasons to give up eating meat. For the sake of balanced and unbiased journalism, let’s at this point ask: ‘what are the reasons for eating meat?’

There’s only one good argument that I’ve heard for eating meat: it tastes good. It’s a great reason, because it’s honest. To many people, it does indeed taste good. I myself must admit to occasional cravings.

However, if we’re really truthful with ourselves, we see that in no way can a meat-based diet be justified; in the light of the environmental, economic, ethical, and health crises that we are living through today, giving up meat is quite simply one of the smartest, and best choices you can make.

****

Share this blog post on your social media, give it a facebook ‘like’, and send the link to your (furry or not) friends.

Spread the word.

Giving up meat is the single biggest contribution you can make to a sustainable, ethical, and healthy future.

****

Sources:

Suite 101

Goveg.com

Why most of us are still waiting for Permission to Live the Lives we Want.

Via Pam Stewart 

There is value in doing what we know is good for us, yet don’t want to do.

Obviously.

And yet we don’t do it.

Generally, our reasons for not doing what’s best for us are rooted in a lack of self-love—not believing firmly enough that we are worth the effort required to make our lives better.

We all know what we should be doing (it’s why our New Year’s resolutions are the same year after year), but for some reason when the time comes, we find other things (usually, less valuable things) to do with our time.

It is as simple and as difficult as doing what we know we should do: eat well, exercise, call our mothers, and give 30 to 60 minutes a day to our passions. But instead, we find ourselves falling down the Instagram rabbit hole, scrolling Facebook’s news feed, or binging on Netflix for our few free hours a night.

Are these platforms bad? No. But are they stealing valuable moments of our days that could be spent making ourselves happier? Absolutely.

When someone tells me that they want to write and I respond by asking them how much they are writing, more often than not I get a blank look in response. As if it’s possible to get to where we want to be without first taking the necessary steps to get there.

There is no easy button or quick fix to achieving the lives we could be leading; it’s instead in how we spend the minutes and the hours that count. A friend of mine has a two-minute rule. If he thinks of something that needs to be done that takes less than two minutes to accomplish, no matter what he’s doing, he stops to do that task. There is something so simple about his strategy: taking the easy road off the table.

For some reason, we are convinced that things should be easy instead of good. And yet we can all admit that easier isn’t necessarily better. Challenge, healthy stress, and a sense of accomplishment are more important to living a good life than ease. It’s healthier to walk to work; it’s easier to drive. It’s healthier to communicate our feelings; it’s easier to bottle them up and explode at random times. It’s healthier to meditate; it’s easier to watch “House of Cards.”

All of us know what’s good for us and what isn’t, and yet there’s something to being human that makes us so susceptible to choosing immediate gratification over long-term gains: to choosing the donut over the pear, or being the critic instead of the creator.

I read Marianne Williamson’s quote often:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.”

After all this time of not living under our parents roofs, we are still waiting for permission to be more than who we’ve become. As kids we didn’t think, “When I’m grown, I want to be mediocre!” So why are so many of us leading lackluster lives? We are so afraid of failure that we give ourselves all kinds of reasons to play it safe.

Yoga is teaching me that every single time I show up to the mat, I am only meeting myself. When I am frustrated with the class, the pose, the teacher, each and every time, it is only ever me and my baggage that I am encountering. If I am frustrated and attached to outcomes I can’t control, then of course that’s how I’m going to feel for the 90 minutes I’m stuck in downward dog. No one else is to blame for how I choose to show up to class or work or time with my family. No one else is to blame for my life but me.

It’s annoying to hear, isn’t it?

That it’s our responsibility to make things better for ourselves. That there is no adult in the room monitoring our behavior who’s about to reward us with a treat for being good little boys and girls as we get dressed for work every morning without making a fuss.

I am here to tell you: be the adult in the room.

Make yourself into who you once believed you could be. Decide to be kind, strong, and honest, and be passionate about your life. Have the audacity to believe yourself nauseatingly worthy of a good life. The road to getting there is not sexy or instantaneous, but it is worthwhile. We have to believe the ends justify the means regardless of the world’s applause because the end and the means are our lives.

Stop waiting to be discovered. Work hard on yourself. You’re worth it.

~

Author: Pam Stewart
Image: ECC Photography; Jillian/Flickr 

God

"Any God I ever felt in Church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did, too. They come to Church to share God, not find God." Alice Walker

Iused to think God was separate, unknowable, and judgmental. I saw God more as a judge than a friend and myself more as a sinner than the son.With such low self-esteem, it was hard to associate God with my life! Then I began to search for the spiritual path to a deeper understanding of self. I found a loving, friendly God whose love is so pervasive I was able to discover the Divine in my life and the lives of others.The concept of meeting together to share God made sense.Discovering a God within made God knowable and comprehensible. Because God lives in me, I am alive.

Loving Creator,may I share Your life in my world.

The Quote

Suffering

"Every flower must grow through dirt." Author Unknown

Say Yes to Your Spirit is about divinity, love, and beauty, but it also includes suffering. Nobody is going to get out of life alive, and nobody leaves this life without experiencing pain and suffering. My suffering, although not exhaustively, has been from alcoholism; for others it can be divorce, poverty, racism, sexual abuse, sickness-the list is endless.We all suffer in life. But suffering is not the whole story. If we are to move away from victimization, we need to accept this and be prepared to move on. Day follows night; after the rain comes sunshine; better days inevitably follow. Just as the dirt is essential to the flower, so is suffering essential in the molding of the spiritual life.

I thank God for the dirt I can dust away.

On this day of your life

I believe God wants you to know ...

... that it is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest
by helping others to succeed.

Napoleon Hill said that, and he was right. Nothing

ensures success like ensuring another's success. And

there is someone who is looking for your help and

your support today.

Lift that person up, give that person credit, do whatever

you can to help that person be a success. And always

remember: What goes around, comes around.

CoDA Weekly Reading

I offer this experience of mine because I believe caregivers for Alzheimer's patients especially would find powerful support within the program of Codependents Anonymous (CoDA). There are both face-to-face, phone and online meetings listed at coda.org.

I provide my story as evidence for what has enabled me to do my part--which was the major part--in caring for my sister Mary Lou. I could not have done it without my awareness of how to practice self-care and how to recognize and deal with failures of self-care by others. I learned this by having long attended CoDA meetings where denial patterns, low self-esteem patterns, compliance patterns, control patterns and avoidance patterns are explicitly addressed. And because advice-giving and especially correction or criticism does not take place, I was free to find my own way of dealing with my patterns in the circumstances of the times.

Mary Lou was diagnosed with Alzheimers in about 2010 and I became her primary caregiver with the help of my wife and Mary Lou's very good friend and eventually a next-door neighbor. We were able to maintain her in her own apartment till last spring when we all realized we could no longer manage. We moved her into a very good memory unit where, by comparing Mary Lou to other residents, we could see we had carried her along well beyond what other caregivers had done.

And moving her there was possible only with ongoing financial contributions from about eight other members of my family, none of whom live nearby. The facility charges about $7000 a month but says openly they will not discharge anyone who has paid this cost for at least three years and this is the basis that the family is operating on. So my sister is set for life. I am sure I could not have arranged that help from my family without my years in CoDA.


John R – 3/27/18

Cutting Cords (OM)

by Madisyn Taylor Sometimes the emotions we are feeling belong to the person we are in a connection with, and an energetic cord must be severed. In every relationship, people are constantly exchanging energy that can become a chord connecting two people. This energetic cord forms just below the breastbone and can remain long after a relationship has ended. This unbroken cord may leave an open channel between you and another person, through which emotions and energy can continue to flow. If you are unaware that the chord exists, it is easy to feel the other person's emotions and mistakenly think that they are yours. Besides the fact that this can limit the amount of closure you can experience in a relationship, letting this cord remain intact can leave you with a continued sense of sadness while creating feelings of lethargy as your own energy is sapped from you. Cutting the cord can help you separate yourself from old baggage, unnecessary attachments, and release you from connections that are no longer serving you. Finding and cutting unwanted cords is a simple, gentle process that is best done alone and when you are relaxed. It is important that you are strong in your intention to release the chord between you and someone else. To begin, breathe deeply and perform a simple centering meditation. When you are ready, visualize or sense the chords that are connecting you to other people. Run your fingers through the cords to separate them until you find the cord you wish to sever. There is no need to worry, because the chord you need to sever will feel just right. When you have found it, determine where the cut should be made and then visualize the cord being cleanly cut. If you need assistance, Archangel Michael can be called upon to help you with his sword. Afterwards, if you feel that cutting the chord has left spaces in your energy field, then visualize those spaces being filled with healing sunlight. There may be times where cutting a cord can help free a relative or loved one to reach new stages of growth. You're not severing a relationship, but you are severing the chords that are no longer serving you both. At other times, a cord may simply refuse to be cut because it is still serving a higher purpose. It is also important to remember that cutting a cord with someone is not a replacement for doing your emotional work with people. It can, however, be an enactment of that work upon its completion. In any case, cutting a relationship cord should always be viewed as a positive and nurturing act. By cutting the cords that no longer need to be there, you are setting yourself and others free from the ties that bind.

This 4-Step Morning Ritual may just Change your Life.

Via Emma Toms 

I used to be the girl that rolled out of bed at the last minute screaming at her alarm to keep quiet, before stuffing a piece of toast in her mouth and grabbing a swig of tea while running out of the door.

Not anymore. Now I wake up with intention and purpose for the day. I had to begin a practice that was more helpful to my daily life as my old routine was really not working for me.

I was constantly stressed and late for work. I was aggressive in the car on the way and it often took me until 11 a.m. to get my brain in gear to actually carry out my work at full throttle. I needed to make a choice and it was hard.

I love my bed and hate getting out of it. Those days when it is still dark outside and you are not ready to face the world yet, the duvet just envelops you and you can hide in peace and quiet.

That is exactly what I was doing: hiding. I was putting it all off and not dealing with the stuff I had to get on with.

It’s all changed now but it began with baby steps. At first I just got up earlier, wrote a few lines in a notebook and did a couple of yoga poses. As I became more aware that it was doing me some good it developed further.

Here are some of my morning rituals that get my day started properly. See if any of them might work for you:

1) Write

I have a scruffy little notebook next to my bed and I write my morning thoughts down in there. Sometimes they are quite short and other days I don’t know where all of the thoughts come from, they just pour onto the page.

Julia Cameron said in an interview:

“The Morning Pages, the primary Artist’s Way tool, leads us into taking many risks. It is, after all, risky to try a new arena. Morning Pages urge us to ‘follow our bliss,’ as Joseph Campbell phrased it, and our ‘bliss’ may be hydra-headed. As we work with the pages, we are often urged in new directions.”

This is true of my life now; these pages help me to make decisions in my life that I previously let unfold. They help me to format what I’m thinking and clear out the rubbish so I can cope with what is thrown at me during the day. They have taken me in some new directions I never thought possible and that’s nice. I embrace this moment each morning bleary-eyed or not.

2) Go outside

I step outside my back door (whatever the weather), I stand, look up to the sky and I say thank you. Just a quiet thank you to the universe for being here. I take three big expansive breaths, raising my arms, and taking it all in—smelling everything, hearing everything and I just feel glad to be alive.

Some mornings this is harder than others. Some days you feel less glad to be alive, to be outside when it’s raining or blowing a hoolie. You can feel weird doing it. I live on a typical housing estate in England and you get the occasional look from someone’s bedroom window.

I have no expert advice regarding this, I just felt it was right for me. I had been avoiding life and it just seemed to ground me, guide me and make me think about what I had to be thankful for. I love the outdoors though so maybe it’s not for everyone.

3) Drink Lemon Juice

I drink lemon juice in the morning—every morning. I suffer from autoimmune disorders and I did some homework, looked at functional medicine techniques and this came up again and again in my research. Most of the advice was regarding keeping your body alkaline and improving digestion.

I read lemons are an incredibly alkaline food. Yes, they are acidic on their own, but inside our bodies they’re alkaline (the citric acid does not create acidity in the body once metabolized). I also like the fresh taste of lemons and I couldn’t begin my day without them now.

4) Meditate

Never for long and mostly chanting Om. I read about chanting and a Reflexologist had told me this may help calm me. This vibration caused when chanting Om is thought to be the same vibrational frequency found throughout everything in nature. As such AUM (as it is pronounced) is the basic sound of the universe; by chanting it we are tuning into that sound and acknowledging our connection to nature and the universe. The vibrations also have a physical effect on the body by slowing down the nervous system and calming the mind.

This is a lovely part of my morning. I just get to sit and not think and really connect to my body and the earth and all that it has to offer. It really makes me feel at one with the world.

It wasn’t easy and I still don’t love getting up earlier, but all of these activities help me and I feel I am a happier, healthier person both physically and mentally for carrying them out every day. I’ve been taking better care of myself since I started doing this, and that can’t be a bad thing.

Anyone can have a morning ritual and it doesn’t matter what it is. It could be sitting quietly with your first cup of coffee, taking in a sunrise or heading out for a walk. It’s the connection to the day, the openness of a new day dawned and what that may bring. It makes you feel glad and a bit more excited at what may happen other than dreading the whole thing and just fighting through it.

If it worked for me, it can work for anyone.

~

~

~

Author: Emma Toms

Image: elephant on Instagram

Sacred Sex: I know Him & He knows Me.

Via Sarah Harvey

Legs spread, I know him.

His hands, placed on the fleshy parts of my thighs, as he lowers himself down onto me.

I pant and bite my lip.

I know him.

Currents of electricity run up and down my body—hot and cold at once—red and magma, cool and blue.

He looks at me with no effort, only the care that oozes naturally from the potency of his gaze, locked on mine.

And mine on him.

He knows me.

And this why this matters—I think, as he draws me closer to him, tears like pearls destined to pour out of both our eyes.

He doesn’t touch me like I am marble—he touches me with reverence, but with the distinct knowing that I am real and solid—wild and here.

A tigress, unfolding in his arms.

And I am.

And in these moments—I let go completely.

And he is a healer. I trust him that much.

I surrender completely—my body melts and reforms, liquid then solid.

Then gold,

Trembling and smiling

What I know is this—

I know him.

And he knows me.

That’s why this is good. That’s why this is different.

Passionate, but careful—full of care—heart leads the way for bodies to crash and cascade on each other like waterfalls, mixing our waters to form a new, rich, expansive sea.

Soul drips to form togetherness.

I am home.

This is it.

I arch my back in ecstasy as he kisses my neck, tattooing his love into me with his lips—bedazzling me invisibly, but in this palpable way that lights me up.

The divine is alive, awake in him.

It is so beautiful, I could weep—

Instead I lay back, as he enters me, slowly, with all his focus on feeling, on my body, on decoding what my face says.

I relax deeply, spreading like silk to allow him inside.

I look at him and do this novel thing—I let myself be loved.

Thoroughly.

Reverently.

I let myself be seen, for all my wildness and wounds and all that has made me wise and tough, soft, strong, and interesting.

And I love him.

His love pours into me, bright white and pure—I glisten.

He glistens.

Sweat becomes art, then all the grit becomes diamonds.

In this, an unspoken bond is formed.

~

Author: Sarah Harvey
Image: Unsplash