How to Make a Vision Board

 

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Your brain will work tirelessly to achieve the statements you give your subconscious mind. And when those statements are the affirmations and images of your goals, you are destined to achieve them!

Creating a vision board is probably one of the most valuable visualization tools available to you. This powerful tool serves as your image of the future - a tangible representation of where you are going. It represents your dreams, your goals, and your ideal life.
Because your mind responds strongly to visual stimulation-by representing your goals with pictures and images-you will actually strengthen and stimulate your emotions...  and your emotions are the vibrational energy that activates the Law of Attraction. The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words,” certainly holds true here.
If you have already defined your dreams, it’s time to illustrate them visually.

Anger Management

  Anger is a natural emotion which humans and animals feel for a number of reasons, such as a result of injustice. However, it is also very common when a threat is perceived - the fight or flight response, either run away or turn and fight the perceived opponent. Often these reactions are aggressive, and can make an already difficult situation even more difficult. There are many ways to deal with angry feelings. Often underneath the anger are feelings of grief and fear. If you are an angry person, relax and deal with the situation at a later time when you are not overwhelmed by what is happening. Learning a few simple steps can put an end to over-reacting.

Stephen Wollaston - an interview

Introducing Stephen Wollaston, also known as Santoshan to Mind Body and Soul Ezine readers. Please tell us something about yourself please:

Santoshan: During the 70s I played electric bass guitar in 'Lady June's Elysium’ (the singer, Lady June, was quite known at the time) and I also played in the Wasps, who were one of London’s first punk groups. I stopped playing to concentrate on graphics work to make a living. My creativity surfaced with the ability to write, particularly after becoming close friends with the ex-Benedictine monk and medium Glyn Edwards, who asked me to co-author a book with him. Around that time, I took a degree in religious studies and a post-grad certificate in education, and interest in English language and transpersonal psychology. I began teaching humanities subjects as well as English language. Yet I have continued to enjoy graphics work and have written on various interrelated spiritual topics. I have released eight books to date.  

The Seven Karmic Paths

1. NO PATH: This path is best expressed in poet William Blake’s words: “The road to excess leads to the palace of wisdom.” Those on this path eventually, through experience and pain, will perceive what has value and what doesn’t. Those on this path judge everything from a perspective of self, and often they have difficulty judging what action will result in harmony as opposed to disharmony. The No Path people appear to have little sense of balance and are usually unwilling to accept responsibility for their own lives. 

Eric Gross

We are in a crisis, environmentally, politically and economically. The world is in a perpetual conflict. People are seeking power and possessions as solutions to their feelings of inadequacy, dissatisfaction and lack of peace. We are brainwashed to think of ourselves as lacking rather than feeling whole and healthy. We are so hungry for validation from others, seeking to impress others and live up to expectations of what they think we should do with our lives. The effect is illusory and we are unaware that it is causing us to feel unfulfilled, unsatisfied, unhappy!  There is a positive aspect to our ego and a negative aspect. Contentment should be our goal in life and to live our life free of the demands of others. 

Scotland - Coorie!

Coorie (aka Cosagach in Gaelic) a Scottish word that means to snuggle or cuddle. 

Coorie is a Scottish wellness trend based on simplicity, balance and harmony.  It is similar to Danish art of 'hygge' 

The Art of Coorie is a book by Gabriella Bennett describes the ancient traditions based on an embracing of landscapes and wild places that provide health and wellbeing, an appreciation of home grown and home cooked foods, and taking comfort in 'blethering' with close friends and caring for one another. A swapping of stressful demands for a quieter and easier lifestyle is recommended. 

Giant Cell Arteritis - An Elusive Odyssey

Mind Body & Soul Book Review - Giant Cell Arteritis - An Elusive Odyssey by James Rupp. 168 pages, published by Lulu. 

This book is dedicated to Pearl Rupp, James's wife, whose photo fronts the text. We are introduced to Pearl and to her illness, Giant Cell Arteritis - inflammation of large and medium blood vessels - and its related, disabling condition, Polymyalgia Rheumatica. We read of symptoms, tests, scans, diagnoses, flare-ups, procedures, medications, treatments, X-rays, biopsies, disabilities, complications, drug conflicts, and the advice of numerous doctors and health care workers. There are confusions, speculations and assumptions and doctors who argue with each other about who has most wisdom in treating this extraordinary illness which requires an individualised care plan.

Progressive Relaxation video

  

 Please don't drive or operate machinery while listening to this guided meditation video. Allow 30 minutes to fully relax without interruption. The text is by Wendy Stokes 

Make yourself comfortable, lie down, take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes and enjoy the experience. 

This video will relieve stress and aid wellbeing and health.

Siege Perilous - An excerpt

Each year, the Knights of the Round Table gathered at Camelot for the Feast of Pentecost, five Sundays after Easter. Here they related their greatest deeds and marvels. Each year, however, their company remained incomplete, for the last place at table remained empty. According to custom, each year, their names were written in gold for them to take their correct seat at table. But this one year, they found a new name written above the empty chair, denoting the words Siege Perilous. They covered this with a silk cloth to hide the words so the rightful knight would not see them and be deterred from joining them at table. Suddenly, an old man entered Camelot’s grand hall accompanied by an unarmed youth. He carried only an empty scabbard. The old man led the boy to be seated at the a table beside Lancelot. Lifting the silk cloth from the chair, all knights saw the lettering had changed to This is the siege of Galahad, the haut Prince. The boy took the seat and the old man left the hall. The knights whispered as they discussed how a boy could possibly take this exceptional seat on King Arthur’s Round Table in Camelot’s grand hall, but Lancelot recognised that this youth was Galahad, his son, and that the prophecy would be fulfilled. 

    The following day, Arthur led Galahad to a lake where his knights had discovered a sword set in stone. The sword was inscribed with lettering that stated only the best and highest knight could pull it from the stone. Sir Gawain and Sir Percival both tried and failed. Galahad easily pulled it clear and the sword was placed into his empty scabbard, a perfect fit. 

Predispositions of the Stalker

Not all stalkers possess all the following traits but they are all very common amongst psychopaths and narcissists, of which stalkers inherit their behaviour patterns. 

Behaviour and attitudes: Basically parasitic and underhand, they are stunted emotionally and incapable of change. They want to possess and own you, considering you as nothing more than an object for their purposes. They harbour resentments and cannot cope with rejection. 

They like high risk activities, demonstrating little sense of fear. Their greatest joy is in winning, or rather gloating when you lose out to them. 

Are they a good friend? Only to themselves! Their idealistic ego is to be pampered, plumped and polished all day every day by themselves and by everyone they bully. They like to put you down to the level that you will crawl. How they love compliance! Degradation satisfies them and justifies, in their small minds, the disrespect they have for you.

Internal Family Systems Therapy

 

The Political New Age Toxicity

What do our politicians want from the electorate?…. They want us to be compliant!  How do they get it? By dumbing down the ability of the ordinary person to think critically! 

We all make important political decisions based on news headlines. The more a politician is in the news, for whatever reason - even for bad publicity - the greater their popularity and the more they are worth. When they lose their MP seat, they get a well paid sinecure on the board of a lucrative bank, big pharma, a chemical, industrial, or armaments manufacturer, in the media, in construction, tech company, etc. 

Politicians who have taken us to war, sell books, after dinner talks, they invite their supportive friends to sit in the House of Lords and they can enter royal privilege as a Garter Knight, as did Tony Blair. 

How has the New Age been infiltrated by the political agenda to disempower you and to make you dependent on their desires. You will be told by spiritual teachers to be self serving, to want and get more and more, as greed becomes fashionable and desirable, not think of altruism as spirituality has told you is the foundation of a spiritual life for thousands of years. There is no right or wrong any more. 

Locus of Control

The locus is: the position, point or place, a location where something occurs. 

Those who have an internal locus of control believe they can change circumstances of their lives. They believe they can make things happen through their own ability or hard work. They take responsibility for their actions, they are not influenced by others, and they often prefer to work at their own pace. Their personal decisions drive the outcomes of their life. 

Those with an external local of control, place power outside of themselves. They believe things happen to them that are not within their power to change, causing them to feel disempowered and to blame others when things go wrong. They are influenced by the opinion of other people, following trends and popularisers. They often believe that god, the stars or the spirits control their destiny. 

Relationship Breakdown Advice

 The statistics for relationship breakdown are so enormous that it shows how difficult we find maintaining a close relationship. Under the stress of CoVid, the situation has increased with the distress of job anxiety, home insecurity and many people have their future in question.  Even when we are similar in our tastes, priorities and energy, there are common difficulties. Many relationship problems lead to conflict rather than clean separation. Men and women have some similarities in finding relationships difficult, but there are also differences. If you offer your partner the best you can in terms of, listening and caring, and a commitment to make it work, your relationship will have some staying power. When things go wrong, speak about it, whether it is a power play, jealousy, generalised anger, or whatever, work at it and have good will and be determined to give and get the best in love that is possible. 

Can You Be an Ocean Elder?

Queen Noor of Jordan is speaking about how pollution of the oceans affects everyone's health and how we must not be complacent in handing on to the future generation, a planet that can sustain life. Everyone can play a role in creating a healthier planet. Many countries in the Middle East are affected by water issues and climate change. 

Our Increasing Human Population

"The more people on the planet - the fewer other species can survive."

20 years ago there were 7 billion people in the world. In 2022, there are 8 billion! 

Sadly, the more the human population increases, the more other species which share our planet are decreasing in numbers, many to the point of extinction. This is because other creatures need virgin land to survive. They are hunted for many reasons, our need for land to grow plants and raise domesticated animals reduces their precious habitat, and mining cuts through their areas with large vehicles on fast roads that cause numerous painful casualties. They can suffer from pollution, infections and fires, their lives are a struggle for food and water and shelter. As the human population grows, our seas become polluted with plastics, fish eat the plastic and enter the human food chain, contributing to our ill health. 

Night Terrors

What are night terrors and How is it best to deal with them? 
Night Terrors usually occurs in childhood and children often grow out of them but they can occur during adulthood. This type of frightening dream occurs in a particular time during the sleep cycle. Sometimes, during this period, the person might cry out, scream or shake, they might shout or lash out. They might also get up during their sleep and walk around, as though they are awake, but they are in fact, fully asleep. They can often be triggered by a stressful experience. In children, they should be allowed to take their course, in adults, they might require a relaxing bedtime routine, sleep without interruption from outside noise. 

The Tale of Robin

 It is nearly April, and the first light of dawn breaks across the horizon, painting the sky in hues of pink and yellow. I perch on the back of a garden bench, my favourite spot; the air is crisp, filled with the sweet scent of awakening life. Spring has arrived, and with it, an orchestra of sounds fills the garden, a melody that stirs my heart and urges me to sing.

Each morning, I awaken to the gentle rustle of leaves and the soft chirping of my fellow bird friends. The garden is a canvas of colours where daffodils and hyacinths stretch toward the sun, their petals yawning in a joyous greeting. Butterflies flit about, their delicate wings splashing colour here and there. I can feel the excitement in the air; nature and I are stirring.

Rockpool Moon Goddess Diary New Year

 For the New Year…

I feel gratitude to the path I walked this year, for the experiences I had, and the people I shared this adventure with. I am also thankful for the learning I received and the wisdom I gained. I give thanks to all my angels, my spirit guides, to Mother Earth, the seasons, the planets and the moon for holding me as I moved through this year. 

Card reading for January

Firstly, from Caitlin Matthews’ ‘Hallowquest’, I have chosen  ‘Merlin' which is numbered 1 and shows Merlin as a mature and centred man of influence and power, preparing the way for Arthur. Above his head are red and white dragons, locked in combat. Behind his right shoulder is the crumbling castle of the unworthy King Vortigern; behind his left, is a dwelling, created for him by his sister with which to see the heavens. He is looking at a map which is laid out a stone table with the four Hallows, the Sword, Spear, Grail and Stone Chessboard. Merlin was born of an earthly mother and Otherworldly father, giving him knowledge of both physical and non-physical realms. He does not use his power to manipulate but to balance and mediate, to intuit and take wise action. It was foretold that the safety of Vortigern's castle could only be achieved if the blood of a child with no father was sprinkled upon the foundations, and this put Merlin in great danger. However, Merlin proved that the crumbling castle was due to the warring dragons.  

Burning Qualities of Wood

Oak logs will warm you well, that are old and dry
Logs of pine will sweetly smell, but the sparks do fly;
Birch logs burn too fast, chestnut not at all
Hawthorn logs are good to last, cut them in the Fall.
Holly logs will burn like wax, you may burn them green
Elm logs like to smouldering flax, no flame can be seen;
Beech logs for winter time, yew logs as well
Green elder logs, it is a crime, for any man to sell.
Pear logs and apple logs, they will scent your room
Cherry logs across the dogs, smell like flowers of broom;
Ash logs, smooth and grey, burn them green or old
Buy them all that come your way, worth their weight in gold. 

Ivanhoe - A Xmas Story

 Beneath a sky dusted with December frost, open the pages of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, and step into a Yuletide feast of chivalry, adventure, and a smoldering ember of Christmas cheer. Forget sugarplums and reindeers, for here, amidst ancient castles and sun-dappled forests, knights dance with danger, outlaws sing carols of rebellion, and a love story unfolds as poignant as a whispered prayer on Christmas Eve.

Our hero, Ivanhoe, returns from the Holy Land wrapped in mystery and shrouded in shadows. Discarded by his own father, betrayed by his king, he becomes a lone wolf, a wraith haunting the snowy English countryside. Yet, his heart, though battered, still glows with embers of goodness, waiting to be fanned into flames by the spirit of Christmas.

Christmas Quiz

1. What was the original colour of Santa Claus’s suit?

2. What address does the Royal Mail provide for Santa Claus?

3. What is a Smoking Bishop?

4. What is the poem title by Christina Rossetti that became a Christmas carol?

5. On Boxing Day 1991, what was dissolved?

6. Who wrote the first royal Christmas message, delivered by George V in 1932?

7. According to traditions when should Christmas decorations be taken down?

8. What special event happened in the WWI trenches on Christmas Day 1914?

9. What special event happened on Christmas Day 1066?

10. How many tips to a snowflake?

The Winter Winds Bring Me Home

The cold winds of winter have arrived. When I stepped out side my front door, I was at once blasted awake by the duality of sharp crystallized air and the blindingly brilliant sunlight. My husband and I decided to go for a short walk and it was clear we would need to dress in layers as the temperatures would vary widely from open fields to protected hollows. Out of the depths of the hall closet, I retrieved last year's winter paraphernalia of scarves, hats, and gloves. Adorned with all these accessories, I decided to leave my binoculars behind; after all the migrations were over and these were only backyard woods.