Citrine

Citrine is a solar plexus chakra  stone used metaphysically to increase, magnify and clarify personal power and energy. This increased personal power can be used for the focused intent of the individual, as it brings will power as well.

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How To Be Happy Rule 441

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Working Through Guilt

Guilt is a painful emotion. It shakes you up and leaves you thinking about the past. No one wants to feel guilty over something, but no one seems to know how to deal with this guilt that they feel. Below are some steps you can use to move through guilt.

1. Put the guilty behaviour in context. What were the forces acting on you at the time?
2. Examine the motives, drives, and needs underlying your behaviour. What or who were you trying to satisfy or accomplish?
3. Look for ways that the behaviour may have been modelled for you. Ex. someone close to you uses similar methods and has influenced you to do the same, you grew up not knowing any different, etc.
4. See how your underlying needs can be more directly and appropriately filled.
5. Take stock of any harm caused and find ways of making amends. Start by asking or talking to the person. If this is not an option, make amends using generous actions to the global community (give money, volunteer at a shelter, etc.).
6. Make a plan for new behaviour.
7. Forgive yourself and move on.
8. Evaluate your belief system. Where did the belief that such an action is bad originate from? Who does it serve? What is your own belief, and on what is it based? What are the results of your actions? Is harm caused to yourself or others? How can you get support for your actions if you believe them to be right?

Record all answers and observations. Re-evaluate your responses and realize that this guilt has no purpose or take actions to rid yourself of it.

The Root Chakra (Muladhara)

Color: Red

Position: Base of Spine

Focus: “I Am” and “All Is One”

Crystals: jasper, ruby, bloodstone, hematite

Rights: to be here, to have

Developmental Stage: womb to 12 months

Demon: fear

Key Words: stability, security, survival, belonging, grounding, tribal unity, loyalty, honour, justice

Connections: 

1. Tribal chakra (Eastern religion): lessons related to the material world
2. Sacrament of Baptism (Christianity): to receive or bestow an expression of grace representing gratitude for one’s life in the physical world
3. Sefirah of Shekhinah (Kabbalah): The grounded life force, feeding all that is alive

Issues: roots, grounding, nourishment, trust, health, feeling at home, ability to provide for life’s necessities, physical family and group safety and security, ability to stand up for self, social and familial law and order, prosperity, appropriate boundaries 

Excess: The energy drawn towards the first chakra is unable to move downward to ground or upward to the other chakras. This causes trouble embracing change.

• SIGNS: heaviness, sluggish, monotony, obesity, hoarding, materialism, greed, fear of change, addiction to security, rigid boundaries

Deficiency: The energy drawn to the first chakra is deflected randomly into other parts of the body without any grounding. This causes chaotic movement with little consistency.

• SIGNS: fearful, undisciplined, restless, underweight, spacey, disconnection from body, chronic disorganization, financial difficulty, poor focus, poor boundaries

Balance: good health, vitality, well grounded, comfortable in body, sense of trust in the world, feeling of safety and security, able to relax and be still, stability, prosperity, right livelihood

Physical Effects: disorders of the bowel, anus, large intestine, disorders of solid parts of body (bones, teeth), issues with legs, feet, knees, base of spine, butt, eating disorders, frequent illness. 

• SPECIFIC: chronic lower back pain, sciatica, varicose veins, rectal tumours/cancer, depression, immune-related disorders

Healings & Meditations: reconnect with body, physical activity (aerobics, weights, running, dance), lots of touch (massage), bioenergetic grounding, hatha yoga, look at earliest childhood relationship to mother, reclaim right to be here

1. “Who Am I?” Meditation - inhale, “Who Am I?”, exhale, answer the question. This meditation focuses on the I Am concept of the root chakra. At first, your mind will be answering the question, but once you are in that meditative state, your Being will answer that question and you’ll realize that you just are. You are not this or that.
2. Visualize a large, red cube at the base of your spine - see the colour expanding and intensifying. Picture it grounding your legs and feet to the earth, giving you stability, security and structure.
3. Body Dialog - this healing method is best done with someone else. Lay on your back with eyes closed or open. Imagine that your body is a company, and each body part is a member of the company going in for an interview on what they think of their position in the company. Go through each body part starting at your feet through to your head and describe what they are feeling in regards to their part in the whole. Have somebody sit with you to record your answers and name each body part in turn. Once you are done describing each body part, reread your answers without naming the body parts. Ex. I feel this, I feel that vs. I am my feet and I feel this, I am my knees and I feel that. By doing this, you will see how your body is reflecting your unconscious thoughts and feelings. By yourself, go through the list and ask yourself why you are feeling this way. This establishes awareness and understanding of your body, resulting in ability to take action and change.
4. Take A Walk In Nature - Being grounded means being rooted to the earth. By being close to nature, this brings you closer to the earth and pulls your energy downward.

Gyan Mudra (Mudra of Knowledge)

The Power of Love

Many people think that love has the power to do a lot of things for them, but what they’re missing is the fact that they also have the power to do these things for themselves.

Let’s start with how most people think that love heals everything… So much that they rely on it to be happy. When I say love, I mean love for someone or something else; an external love, an unconscious love. This love is not true. True love comes from the core of your Being, and emanates outwards when you are totally present & non-judging. True love doesn’t have any opposites. It can’t turn into hate because true love comes from your consciousness, not your ego. Ego’s create opposites by making mental labels for everything and defining something instead of just letting it Be. Unconscious & external love is never permanent, and you will most likely, find yourself back in the pain that you thought love could fix for you. Nothing external can ever fix your pain. Healing comes from within. You have the most power to do something for yourself!

Furthermore, when people think that they’ll be happy once they find love, they spend all of their life searching & searching. When they find it, it’s great… But then it starts to crumble and they’re back where they started. People become addicted to the things they love because it covers all of their insecurities, and they don’t have to face the underlying emotions that are painful for them. These emotions don’t disappear (like everyone seems to think when they are “in love”), they just get pushed into the unconscious. Eventually, these buried emotions will begin to resurface in the love relationship because these emotions can’t be buried forever. It’s your body & unconscious thoughts trying to get your attention by saying, “Hey! Look at me! I need to be dealt with, and since you’re trying to ignore me, I’m going to screw up your relationship!” You’re always going to find yourself coming back to these buried emotions if you don’t deal with them. They will manifest in anything that you are using to cover them up.

So how do you deal with these painful, buried emotions?

To start, all you have to do is acknowledge that they are there. Turn your complete present moment awareness to the emotions. Don’t identify yourself with them, simply take a step back from your mind & emotions & form, and become the watcher; the awareness that watches your mind & emotions (not your mind and emotions themselves). Let your emotions Be as they are without trying to reject or change them. By doing this, your emotions will transform. You may still feel them, but there will be an underlying sense of peace.

Expansion

This is the most amazing sculpture I have ever come across... Paige Bradley's masterpiece, entitled Expansion, is a beautiful woman seeking inner peace but fractured and bleeding with light. “From the moment we are born, the world tends to have a container already built for us to fit inside: a social security number, a gender, a race, a profession,” says Bradley. “I ponder if we are more defined by the container we are in than what we are inside. Would we recognize ourselves if we could expand beyond our bodies?”

50 Buddha Quotes To Remember

I happened upon this awesome post that compiled 50 Buddha quotes. Here they are!

1. “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”- Buddha
2. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”- Buddha
3. “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” - Buddha
4. “You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.” - Buddha
5. “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” - Buddha
6. “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” - Buddha
7. “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”- Buddha
8. “Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.” - Buddha
9. “To understand everything is to forgive everything” - Buddha
10. “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.”-Buddha
11. “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.”- Buddha
12. “You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself”- Buddha
13. “An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.”- Buddha
14. “When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky” - Buddha
15. “However many holy words you read,However many you speak,What good will they do you If you do not act on upon them?”- Buddha
16. “A jug fills drop by drop.”- Buddha
17. “The tongue like a sharp knife… Kills without drawing blood.”- Buddha
18. “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”- Buddha
19. “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.”- Buddha
20. “A dog is not considered a good dog because he is a good barker. A man is not considered a good man because he is a good talker.” - Buddha
21. “There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.”- Buddha
22. “The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”- Buddha
23. “Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.”- Buddha
24. “Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”- Buddha
25. “The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed.”- Buddha
26. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”- Buddha
27. “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or an
28. ticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”- Buddha
29. “Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it.”- Buddha
30. “Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.”- Buddha
31. “What we think, we become.”- Buddha
32. “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others”- Buddha
33. “Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.”- Buddha
34. “He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; he who loves no one has no woes.”- Buddha
35. “To keep the body in good health is a duty…otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”- Buddha
36. “There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.”- Buddha
37. “Hatred does not cease through hatred at any time. Hatred ceases through love. This is an unalterable law.”- Buddha
38. “Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.”- Buddha
39. “Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”- Buddha
40. “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become” - Buddha
41. “All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?” - Buddha
42. “Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” - Buddha
43. “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” - Buddha
44. “However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you If you do not act on
45. upon them?” - Buddha
46. “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.” - Buddha
47. “Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.” - Buddha
48. “In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.” - Buddha
49. “If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” - Buddha
50. “The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows.” - Buddha

(via Purple Buddha Project)

The Chakras

A chakra is a spiritual energy centre that receives and expresses life force energy. Our bodies contain 7 of them. They are vertically aligned in the middle of the body starting at the base of the spine going to the top of the head. They each represent different aspects of spiritual energy or states of consciousness: the bottom 3 relate to physical aspects of our lives through movement, action and survival, and the top 4 relate to mental aspects through words, images and concepts. Through the chakras, there is an energetic current of liberation running up and an energetic current of manifestation running down, connecting and passing through all 7 chakras. The liberating current is created by the pull of mind and spirit, while the manifesting current is created by the pull of body and soul. The manifesting current is where consciousness manifests; where ideas turn into form. The liberating current is where the content of the material world becomes less restricted to, or freed from, form. The purpose of these two currents is to keep you grounded (manifestation) while giving you the ability to change and grow (liberation). There are also two horizontal currents that flow in and out of each chakra: the current of reception, and the current of expression. Through the current of reception, we receive energy and information that is entered into our system. Through the current of expression, we use the two vertical currents to express ourselves at each chakra level. With these two currents, we are able to let go of energy and receive energy in each chakra.

Below is an image showing the alignment of the chakras with their names, colour, and related state of consciousness, along with the two vertical currents. 

  

The chakras are strongly related to our physical functioning, much like the world of emotions are. When a chakra becomes out of balance, or becomes blocked, it effects our physical body, thoughts, and behaviour. A chakra can become blocked through limited belief systems, conditioned mindsets or cultural conditioning, physical and emotional injuries, restrictive or exhausting habits, as well as a lack of attention to it. When a situation occurs, we all have our own way of coping with it. When this situation persists, we develop a chronic pattern which is remembered in our energy field, body, and mind. These remembered patterns may hold even when there is no longer a need for them and this is when these patterns block our flow of energy. Since our body and mind are so affected by these patterns, we may begin to see situations manifest in multiple areas of our lives that perpetuate these conditioned patterns. Every time a situation occurs, we use that same pattern to deal with it and it becomes more ingrained into our systems and then projected into our energy field which attracts more similar situations. This cycle will keep repeating itself until we recognize and become aware of it and take further actions to heal ourselves.  

When our chakras are blocked, our four currents become effected as well. We become ungrounded (manifesting current), our thoughts and ideas aren’t able to take form in the material world resulting in inability to change (liberating current), we can’t receive the information or energy that a chakra requires to function completely (receptive current), and we become stagnant due to the fact that we can’t express the energy we need to let go of (expressive current). There are multiple ways to unblock a chakra: understand the function and dynamics of the chakra, examine any personal history related to the chakra’s issues, use exercises and techniques whether it be meditation or a daily task, or balance excess and deficiency. An excessive chakra means a person is overcompensating for a problem and the chakra is overcrowded with energy. A deficient chakra means a person doesn’t pay enough attention to a situation and withdraws from it resulting in a lack of energy in that chakra.

Over the next few weeks, I will go over each chakra in detail, including the following information:

1. The colour
2. The position
3. The focus/the main message to be attained from the chakra
4. Connections and similarities in other religions relative to that chakra
5. Crystals
6. The Rights of the chakra
7. When the chakra develops
8. Any demons associated with the chakra
9. Key Words
10. Issues
11. Excessive Characteristics
12. Deficient Characteristics
13. Balance
14. Physical Effects
15. Healings and Meditations

Most of the information I will be talking about can be found in greater detail in the following books:

1. Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith 
2. Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss 
3. The Book of Chakras by Ambika Wauters

Chakra Meditation

Repeat the mantra associated with each chakra as you breathe in and out. Visualize the colour of each chakra intensifying and growing stronger, becoming more & more present within you the deeper you breathe.

Buddha was asked, "What have you gained from meditation?"

He replied, "Nothing! However, let me tell you what I have lost: anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death."

IN THE NOW

Recently, I lost sight of my path and wasn’t sure where to go. I let myself get pretty down because of that. I don’t like not having a goal or something to strive towards. I need an intention. After a day of feeling like crap, I decided to write down a bunch of things that I like. The main points were spirituality, fitness, and health. Right now, I’m a coach at a gymnastics club but that isn’t fitting with my vibes as well as it used to. There are certain aspects of it that I like such as helping people improve. I researched jobs or careers related to my interests and ended up at spiritual psychotherapy. Spiritual psychotherapy is a holistic approach to psychotherapy, focusing on spiritual and emotional healing. So I researched some schools that I could go to and found that the majority of them require an undergraduate diploma of some sort to be eligible to apply and take the course. I’m not really interested in taking a 4 year undergrad in something related to the subject because I don’t want to spend that much time in school. However, I meditated on what my purpose is for this lifetime and got a vision that reassured me I’m on the right path for spiritual psychotherapy. I’m so excited!!! A year ago, I never would’ve thought I’d be going down this path.

The point of this post is to remind everyone that whenever you feel lost or that you feel like you have no purpose on this earth, there is always a purpose for you. Everyone is interconnected and plays a part in the whole, the totality. By that I mean, there’s a bigger picture than the lives we simply live. Everything we do, everything that happens to us is in conjunction with the whole. Everything happens for a reason even if that reason makes no sense. So when you feel lost, trust in the universe to provide guidance for you. Just focus on the present because at that moment, that is your main purpose. Whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW is your main purpose for that moment. It’s okay to feel lost and confused and feel like you don’t know who you are. Feeling at a loss is how you find out who you truly are.

Balancing Your Life

Reaching a balance is a learning process.  Here are some suggestions to help you find and keep your balance:

1. Build healthy self-esteem:  Self-esteem is more than just seeing your good qualities. It is being able to see all your abilities and weaknesses together, accepting them, and doing your best with what you have.

2. Build confidence: Take a good look at your good points. What do you do best?  How would a friend describe you? Now, look at your weak points. What do you have difficulty doing? What things make you feel frustrated? Remember that all of us have our positive and negative sides. We let our strengths shine, and we build on our weak points to help us mature and grow.

3. Receive as well as give: Many of us confuse having a realistic view of our good points with conceit. We have trouble accepting kindness from others. We often shrug off a compliment with a, “Yes, but…” and put ourselves down. The next time someone compliments you, say, “Thank you! I’m glad you think so.” Then think about other compliments you have had, and how good they made you feel.

4. Make friends who count: Friends help you understand that you are not alone. They help you by sharing your “ups” and “downs”, and you in turn help them.

5. Figure out your priorities: Our challenge is to know the difference between our real needs and our “wants”, and to prioritise what matters most.

6. Create a meaningful budget: Write out a budget for yourself. Is it realistic? Have you planned what to do with the money left over for your “wants”? Which “wants” are most important to you?

7. Get involved: Being involved in things that really matter to us provide a great feeling of purpose and satisfaction. You should always remember that you make a difference, no matter how big or small your efforts.

8. Learn to manage stress effectively: Stress is a normal part of life. How you deal with it will depend on your attitude. Planning helps, and so does staying calm.

9. Cope with changes that affect you: It would be nice to “live happily ever after”, but there will always be challenges in our lives. changes can be stressful, so we need to be flexible and learn ways to cope.

10. Deal with your emotions and moods: We are all challenged to find safe and constructive ways to express and share our feelings of anger, sadness, joy and fear. Your ways of experiencing and expressing emotions are unique because you are unique.

11. Have a spirituality to call your own: Learn to be at peace with yourself. Get to know who you are: what makes you really happy, what you are really passionate about. Learn to balance what you are able to change about yourself with what you cannot change. Learn to trust your inner self.

12. Spend quality time with yourself: Set aside time to be totally alone, and to do something you love to do.

(via Purple Buddha Project)

Rules For Being Human

Found this in my parents office today!

Start

Start now. 
Start where you are. 
Start with fear. 
Start with pain. 
Start with doubt. 
Start with hands shaking. 
Start with voice trembling but start. 
Start and don’t stop. 
Start where you are, with what you have. 
Just… start.

Atmen is the German word for breathe, while Atman is the Indian word for the divine spirit within.

How to Live a Simpler, More Contented Life

1. Ask yourself “What’s important?” Take a step back and think about what’s important to you. What do you really want to be doing, who do you want to spend your time with, what do you want to accomplish with your work? Make a short list of 4-5 things for your life, 4-5 people you want to spend time with, 4-5 things you’d like to accomplish at work.

2. Examine your commitments. A big part of the problem is that our lives are way too full. We can’t possibly do everything we have committed to doing, and we certainly can’t enjoy it if we’re trying to do everything. Accept that you can’t do everything, know that you want to do what’s important to you, and try to eliminate the commitments that aren’t as important.

3. Do less each day. Don’t fill your day up with things to do. You will end up rushing to do them all. If you normally try to do 7-10 things, do 5 important ones instead. This will give you time to do what you need to do, and not rush.

4. Leave space between tasks or appointments. Another mistake is trying to schedule things back-to-back. This leaves no cushion in case things take longer than we planned (which they always do), and it also gives us a feeling of being rushed and stressed throughout the day.

5. Eliminate as much as possible from your to-do list. You can’t do everything on your to-do list. Even if you could, more things will come up. As much as you can, simplify your to-do list down to the essentials.

6. Now, slow down and enjoy every task. Try to slow down and enjoy whatever you’re doing. Try to pay attention, instead of thinking about other things. Be in the moment. Enjoy the present.

10 Tips for Better Living

Check out these awesome tips!

Body Rebalancing Cleanse

For the past month, I’ve been doing a diet (or as I prefer to call it: cleanse) that involves no sugar, no dairy, and no gluten. By no sugar, I mean for the first 10 days not even fruit. If you have sugar, you’re supposed to start over.

The first 7-10 days were pretty hard for me… I was in such an awful mood because my body was going through withdrawal from sugar. I found myself irritated, frustrated, and depressed for a good majority of these 7-10 days, but once that initial phase of withdrawal was over, I was able to regain my composure. My biggest issue with this diet was the fact that I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EAT! This is where my frustration & irritation came from. Since I’m not a fan of cooking, I was suffering even more by not bothering to make myself anything worth while. Fortunately, my parents were on the same diet as me so I mooched off of their food (grins). I also found a recipe that I used for my breakfast almost everyday: Berry Tahini Chia Pudding. I changed it up a bit so that there wasn’t any honey. Eventually, I found other alternatives that I could have, like: tortilla chips & salsa (no sugar!), salads (avocado, cucumber with feta cheese is my favourite), rice crackers with hummus, spelt bread with almond butter (spelt is not wheat), spelt pasta, and of course there’s an assortment of meats I was allowed to have. My all time favourite was the classic BLT, which I only found out I could have during the last week of this cleanse.

The perks of this diet is that you can still eat as much as you want and the restrictions make it healthy. Doing this diet, I was able to see how much sugar can be an addiction and by eliminating it from my diet, as well as gluten and dairy, I was able to discover different alternatives to food that are more beneficial to health (and they still taste the same!). Once you start adding food back in that does have sugar, wheat or dairy, you may become aware of what foods agree with your body & which don’t. With my body being extremely sensitive to these kind of things, I’m usually able to tell what it likes & what it doesn’t.

If you’re interested in trying this cleanse out, I recommend doing it with someone else (it’ll be easier, especially if they live in the same household as you). The photos are of the cleanse information sheet with the outlines of what you can and cannot have. If you have any questions, feel free to connect with me! :)