Serenity Sunday

An Attitude of Gratitude

"This is a wonderful time to be living here on earth. Our opportunities are limitless. While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.


"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues" (Thomas S. Monson)


My List:


1.) My family


2.) Great friends


3.) Fall mornings


4.) Beyond Worlds-Your Tarot Tribe (on BlogTalk Radio)


5.) Custom Tarot bags


6.) Carrots from the garden


7.) Ah Ha moments


8.) Journaling


9.) Honey roasted peanuts


10.) Furniture polish wipes

Prosperity

Prosperity- a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, esp. in financial respects; good fortune.


Abundance- an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply.


At first glance, these two words seem remarkably similar but upon closer examination you can see that prosperity is to flourish and abundance is to have a lot of.....I never really put much thought into these words and their use but until I started trying to bring about a more prosperous environment around me, I began to realize there is a world of difference between these words and I started to delve into how to bring about the good things in my life.

There are many ways to be prosperous, financially, spiritually, materially and these are the ways in which most of us wish to manifest in our lives. I prefer to use the word prosperity rather than abundance because it brings to mind the impression of having too much...like bills, rain or even worries and that is usually why we ask to be prosperous in the first place.

There are several theories as to "the secret" of prosperity and I have been one of those individuals myself on occasion. The law of return is a good one, it goes like this: what we give out will return to us, so if we become active in our communities and  show concern and kindness to our neighbors...the thought is that those good deeds shall return to us.  But what if that does not happen? Then we are sent right back to the drawing board to see just where we might have gone wrong.

I have made the observation that maybe deep down inside, we don't feel like we may be worthy of asking for prosperity. The Universe and the Gods will provide for us, but often times only if we ask. You just have to remind yourself that you are deserving of good times. We are part of divinity and as such are more than worthy to ask and recieve prosperity in our lives.

I also noticed that people tend to focus on the negative things that happen to them and also expect them as a regular thing. If they would just start expecting good things, than good things would have a chance to arrive. A great way to shift our focus from the negative to the positive it a gratitude list....Make it a point to write down five things that you are grateful for every day. Do this for a couple months and you will start to notice that rather seeing only negative,  we are more apt to start seeing all the things in our lives that are good. 

Every Sunday I have a post called "Serenity Sunday" this is my gratitude list. Each day I write down ten things I am thankful for and on Sunday I pick out a few from the week and post them on my blog. I can honestly say my focus has shifted and I no longer see the glass as half empty but half full instead.  I ask you today, why not start a gratitude journal and see if that doesn't help change your perspectives of prosperity and abundance...?

Tarot Shadow Work- Self Loathing

In the sixth position of The Star of Discovery lies self loathing. The card I drew for this spot is Judgement....this card's Shadow meanings include: Having a harsh inner critic; Failure to be merciful or forgiving with myself or others; Holding a grudge; Being critical of yourself or others...hello...that is so me! The author must have been peeking in on my thoughts for sure because I couldn't have given a more accurate summation of my attitude!

As a child, my household was extremely critical and rife with perfectionism... my mother, I swear, had OCD because everything had a place and things were always so neat and tidy it almost sparkled. Children, as you know, are not neat and tidy nor are they clean and spotless... sometimes life does happen, spills, stains and mud pies are almost always a given. I often would entertain myself (I am an only child) by turning a knick knack or two just a hair to the left or right and watch my mother come unglued as she walked by (not even looking in the direction of said knick knacks) and suddenly just know that there was something amiss! Can you say grounded?!

As I grew up I think the result of growing up in that environment reared it's ugly head and festered into critical and judgemental thinking. What right did I have to set standards for everyone that I myself could not ever hope to reach?! What right did I have to hold others accountable for the very same flaws that I had?! It is said that what we detest in others is only a reflection of our own annoying behaviors, habits and attitudes.

How many times did that ugly old tape recorder play in my head..."Stupid... Lazy... Should have known better...If my head wasn't attached..." All those nasty little self defeating things we often say to ourselves and not even stop to realize what we are doing to ourselves and those around us. If this reminds you a little of yourself... try this week to repeat a few positive affirmations like "I am a good person, I am smart, I am worthwhile...and for goddess sakes.....forgive yourself!!

Four Of Pentacles Revisited...

It became evident to me this afternoon, that I had learned another interpretation of the little fox holding on very tightly to his Four of Pentacles, so I decided to blog about it as it is very fitting and needs to be gotten off my chest and done with for good.

Several years ago, I lived through a very devastating and traumatic emotional incident that changed my life and affected my very soul...After the numbness from the shock wore off I had always thought of myself as a survivor and counted my blessings to have made it out with my sanity still somewhat intact.

I swore from then on I had learned some very hard life lessons... and that was that... but never really approached the fact that scars remained and issues that still simmered below the subconcious surface would someday have to be dealt with....This afternoon they bubbled to the surface... and in one shining moment the Four of Pentacles became glaringly obvious.....

Things that can be held onto with an iron grasp can also include past unresolved conflicts and emotional injuries, whether real or imagined, and are quite tangible as the little fox's pentacles are to him. This may or may not come as a suprise to many of you but I really had never considered this to apply to this type of situation... I started to question myself...Why was I hanging on to this sadness...what did I possibly hope to gain by keeping it for all these years?

So, when you look back upon events in your past, what are you clinging to unnecessarily...outmoded ideas or ways of being that can be let go to the universe in order for them to be healed? Those hurts to your heart that really have no place in your life and simply take up room that can be used in more positive ways?

Today I choose to let go of my sorrow that took up residence in my soul for far too long and I resolve from this day foward, by releasing the old, I will make room for the new more uplifting experiences in my life.

Great Expectations

I stopped in at my son's school today to visit with his teacher (nothing bad....just a progress report) and while I was waiting I saw this little curious little poster on one of the library walls, I got closer to read just what it said and suddenly I felt compelled to write it down. Here it is as follows:

The more you read...
The more you know.

The more you know...
The smarter you grow.

The smarter you grow...
The stronger your voice.

When speaking your mind...
and making your choice.

It's just a few simple lines but for some reason my little inner voice was telling me that they were profound and powerful and I simply must share it. It's a plain statement but just how many of us really think about the positive impact it could have on our children...if we sat down and applied this philosophy? Reading to your children is one of the most important things that we can do to put them on the track to great things.

Procrastination As An Art Form

I've always been the sort of person that has a fondness for putting the big things off until "later." In fact my motto should probably be "Procrastinators unite....tomorrow!" It's really not an admirable quality and I'm noticing that the kids are picking up on it as well. A homework packet is given each Monday at school and due on Friday and lately all four children are often found at the kitchen table Thursday evenings in a state of panic, frantically adding, subtracting and studying spelling. I remember doing the very same thing when I was their age and I must admit that it does not reflect very well on me, having passed on this less than desirable trait. It's so strange how our habits and routines are soaked up by the little people who watch our every move, even without our realizing it. The really frightening prospect is that if they pick up on so much, what other examples are they adopting from us. It really puts it in perspective for me and I do want my children to develop healthy, positive habits as they grow up, so I as a parent must closely examine my actions and always make sure that I keep in mind that I am the adult that they look up to so I had better shape up and be the example that will benefit them later on in life. Now...about cleaning out that refrigerator......

My Lightbulb Moment!

I had been working with my cards this evening and on a whim asked them what is something that I need to apply in my life at this time....The card I drew was the Magician. To me he was letting me know that I have all the tools at my disposal already to change my perspectives and possible ruts I may be caught up in.
No one is responsible for the state of my outlook except myself so I put on a cheery face and soon began to notice I was feeling a much more positive state of mind!