Monday, January 21, 2013

Happy Birthday, Aquarius!

Birthday greetings to the always unique, perpetually original Aquarius!

Ruled by Uranus, Aquarians are naturally unconventional and enjoy rebelling against conventional rules, for the simple pleasure of striking out on their own and doing things their own way.  Aquarius people tend to be caring humanitarians as well, with an interest in helping humankind as a whole.  Peace and love among all people are often very important to them.  While there is sometimes a feeling of detachment between Aquarius and those around him or her, it's not meant to be an unfriendly or uncaring energy -- Aquarians tend to be dreamy and can often get lost in their own thoughts.

These are the true visionaries and iconoclasts of the zodiac!  With an Aquarius by your side, get ready for anything -- adventure and the unknown always awaits when you have a friend like this!

Happy Birthday, Aquarius friends!  We love you!

P. S.  I made some cute birthday images of each zodiac sign, including Aquarius.  I hope that you enjoy these!  They're licensed under "Creative Commons" (non-commercial only) so feel free to share them and use them on Facebook, Myspace, or wherever you like to network with your friends.  Have fun!


Creative Commons License

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Fashionfab Seeks Advice

Today, I saw that my Keen blog had received a question asking for my input.  So, here's my take on the situation...

"Fashionfab" wrote:
Hi!
I need some major advice please!!!!!
Okay long story somewhat short lol. I was with a guy for 2 years I loved him, and I thought he loved me… we spoke about marriage but after a year he back away and said he has a strict family and they will pick his wife and he can’t do anything about it (this is actually true it a culture thing from where he is from) BUT he broke up with me via text out of the blue… we met one day and 2 days later he sent a message… of course I was crushed this was my first relationship. Okay so throughout the breakup I made mistakes and texted him, told him why blah blah… but I stopped later.
After about 2 years later he messaged me on e-mail saying the major reason why he broke if off was he knew it wasn’t going anywhere but refuse to tell me.. and two he wanted a girl to have sex with and I wasn’t giving it to him because I am a virgin (oh I am now 23) and he said I was a girl for a man to marry not to mess with. So he found a new girl and brags that she and him ONLY hang in a parked car and why couldn’t I do that. I just LOL at it. So the past 2 months him and I have been talking just as friends. He would always repond to my texts (which before he would ignore or cuss me out etc, and this is 3 year after the break up). I told him it great hearing from you and I hope our path cross… he replied saying God willing our paths do cross I really hope that. So I just replied saying yeah. we would text throughtout the day mostly the morning, talking about all sort of stuff, TV, our lives, just friends talking. So he keep complimenting me and I just say thanns nothing more to make him feel like I want him back (BUT I DO STILL CARE A LOT FOR HIM). He than proceeds to say he is loving the way I live my life and he is envious and jealous. I moved away from the state I used to live in that he is still in and now in law school… and he always says he is jealous of me, which I don’t like.. always saying I am beautiful, that he misses me, wants to see me, calls me a “G” but I just say don’t be your got it good too… anyways he asked to see me, I said may be when I am back. So I later told him may be if we meet in public NOT A CAR, and just get coffee. He agreed and said he would find time. I said sure. He told me last week that may be this week we would me, well, I text him saying hey did you find a day so I knew bc i would be leaving back soon, he didn’t reply.. so I left it. Hours went by nothing. I told my friend, she took his number and called private without me knowing :/ he picked up!! So I later text saying I don’t know what’s going on, but I will respect that bye friend. The next morning he text saying hey, I replied with hi 2 hours later. He wrote how are you feeling, 2o min later I said pretty good. THAN he proceeded to ignore me again so I wrote if you don;t want to talk to me than don’t text or play games. I don’t want to waste time. I am really sad because I care so much for him, and am his friend and had faith he would be a MAN and just not play this game of hot and cold anymore… we are just friends. I am away and busy so I don’t expect much from him but a polite I can’t meet up but have a safe trip back maybe next time or just if he doesnt want to talk to ne stop talking don’t talk to me than, ignore. The week is over and I am going back to my University I didn’t hear from him….

OH, and he kept saying he would come visit me in the state I am in now bc it is a tourist state, and said we would have fun and just hang… he was saying/asking would it be awkward, i said no but if we meet it would take the awkwardness away….


So will he ever text me? Because I secretly do want to hear from him again??? Why does he do this? is he fooling me? Please help, my heart is broken again. I been hurting for almost 4 year becouse of this guy… this is a long long long story that is very condense. He is kind of a jerk, obivosly a player since he left to find a sex buddy. I feel like he doesn’t care, yet I still do. He says I am a great friend and that he has love for me, but why alway do this?


Do you think he will ever call me or text me? I need you help!!!!! please 



My response was:
Fashionfab, I definitely feel that you'll be hearing from him again.  However -- right now, he is just way too immature to give you the kind of treatment that you want.  I know that you care about him, but his games & rejection are intended to make YOU always feel like you have something to prove to him -- yet he's the one who needs to grow up and STEP up!  He has control of this situation & he knows it.  In order to get it back, stop being the one to initiate texts.  If he wants you, make him work for it. :)  And if he wants friendship, that's fine too, but same rules apply because he needs to learn to treat you with respect. 

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Characteristics of a Soul


This beautiful passage was forwarded to me by a friend.  If anyone knows where this is from, please let me know so that I can credit the original author.  Enjoy it! :)

At the dawn of spring, I am reminded by my children the joy of anticipating new life.

They will usually see a flower or two that has made its way through the soil to a world beyond itself. What starts out as a seedling or bulb is transformed by nature's capacity to evolve.

Inside each of us lies dormant an awareness, an identity, an ability to grow beyond what we appear to be. Every moment, we are being challenged by others and by circumstances to create a life that exceeds our present state of living.

To move toward our highest good takes a willingness on our part to let go of what we know to what can be known in and through us. You and I are part of the Created Order we see around us, and we are participants in Creating Order out of what we have been given to care for.

With this in mind, let us turn to ways our soul can be described in the characteristics that make up a flower:

1. The Ground.

The ground nurtures, protects, and gives birth to a flower. Inside the womb of the ground, life is taking root long before we can see it. Because we cannot see a flower that has been planted in the earth, does not mean life is not being created. To be full participants in our world means to be fully connected and rooted in the world we have been given.

2. The Stem.

The stem begins its growth in the earth below and into the sky above. This part of the flower is the connecting characteristic of the plant. Much like humanity, we are in this world without being fully of it. This creates a sacredness to our lives. It is our unique ability to live and grow in a way no one ever has, is, or ever will.

3. The Flower.

In full bloom, a flower is the illumination of all the life that has preceded it. The radiance and color that pour out of it create life. Notice the next time you look at a flower how you are affected by it. You may notice your heart open and be filled with joy. Or, you may notice more energy and clarity in your vision for being blessed with great beauty.

4. The Spirit of a Flower.

The spirit of a flower is the life force moving in and through it. It is the essence of a flower that identifies with your spirit. This part of you opens from the inside out and becomes ONE with the spirit of a flower. It is the same energy that runs in and through you. Like a flower, you begin to radiate your own soul from the essence of your own being.

Each spring, take the time to notice the part of you opening up to new life. Just like flowers, we grow from the inside out. What illuminates in our life began inside us. We nurture these inner qualities of attention until they eventually take root and grow into our daily lives. The growth that follows is created from what we attend to or hold our attention on within us.

Like the pedals of a flower opening to the world around it, we create a presence of awareness. In full bloom, the beauty or the lack thereof touches the lives of everyone around us. As our inner patterns of attention move through us, the world illuminates the seeds of awareness contained within us for so long. Here, a life is created. It is the life of our soul.


(Photo Credit:  USA Architect of the Capitol)

Friday, January 11, 2013

Full Moons and Their Names


Each moon throughout the year has a specific name which is associated with it through myths and legends.  There are all sorts of different names, but these are the most common:

January:  Cold Moon, Wolf Moon, Chaste Moon
February:  Snow Moon, Hunger Moon
March:  Worm Moon, Sap Moon
April:  Rabbit Moon, Pink Moon, Lenten Moon
May:  Flower Moon, Milk Moon
June:  Mead Moon, Strawberry Moon
July:  Hay Moon, Thunder Moon
August:  Corn Moon, Grain Moon
September:  Harvest Moon, Corn Moon
October:  Blood Moon, Falling Leaf Moon, Hunter's Moon
November:  Mourning Moon, Beaver Moon, Frosty Moon
December:  Long Nights Moon, Moon Before Yule, Winter Moon

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Improve Your Mood with Yummy Food!

Many people decide to make New Year's resolutions involving eating healthier, losing weight, exercising, and just generally doing things to have a more healthy lifestyle.

Instead of beating yourself up and denying yourself things, how about trying to incorporate positive and healthful things into your life instead?  One of the easiest and best ways that we can nurture our bodies and souls is with what we put inside ourselves.  It's true that food is considered an enemy to some misinformed folks seeking to lose weight, but food can be friend as well.  It nourishes you.  It helps you repair your body.  It's fuel and medicine.

With depression running rampant in many nations, it is important to step back and figure out just what we can do to address our own feelings and emotions.  If you're suffering from a depressed state, I recommend you check with your doctor for ways to alleviate this.  In the meantime, it's also good to consider your diet.  Are you getting the nutrition that you need?

My mother-in-law recently discussed how wonderful it felt to get a B-vitamin shot.  And no wonder -- the B complex is full of substances that can help to improve our well-being.  B1 (Thyamine) helps our nervous system, and B3 (Niacin) can lift the mood.  Other B vitamins can help with the joints, lessen fatigue, stabilize the mood, and help the body recover from stress.  Foods that are rich in B vitamins are dairy (such as cheese or yogurt), green leafy veggies (like kale or spinach), beans, nuts, eggs, and even liver.

Vitamin D is another often overlooked vitamin that can help to improve mood, memory, and bodily functions.  It enables us to absorb much-needed calcium; without vitamin D, we may not be getting adequate calcium regardless of how rich in calcium our diets may be.  It is often added to foods such as milk or orange juice, as well as fortified breakfast cereals.  Cod liver oil is a great source of this vitamin, but if you cannot stomach it, try incorporating other things into your diet such as fish, soy-based foods, mushrooms, and eggs.
If you're looking for a quick-and-dirty boost in endorphins, treat yourself to some vitamin C.  It helps the body to create endorphins, which are substances that create a feeling of happiness and well-being.  Oranges, strawberries, broccoli, and dark leafy greens are the perfect choices to pack your plate with vitamin C.  Of course, chocolate also produces those delicious endorphin-creating substances that we crave!  But be sure to eat it in moderation. ;)


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