Having an Awesome Life, Lesson #6: Being Prepared

A stitch in time, saves nine!

Life has often been compared to chess -- and chess, to life!  The similarities are easy to see... in order to do well, you often need to sacrifice.  There are also many ways to conquer what's in front of you, and the method to success is as varied as its participants.  However, I think that the biggest similarity of all is  this:  Both of them require strategy in order for you to come out on top.

While it's fine, and fun, to fly through life by the seat of your pants, preparation for the rough times is going to make a major difference between success and failure, happiness and sorrow.  "A stitch in time saves nine," goes the old proverb.  What you're able to take care of today, can help you enjoy a better life tomorrow.  What you fail to resolve now will come back to you, and it won't leave until you make it a point to take care of it.

Planning ahead is one of the most important steps in having an awesome life.  It doesn't sound particularly awesome, I know.  But, when you plan ahead by saving for a rainy day, or by taking care of something before it becomes a full-blown crisis, you're actually saving more than just time and effort.  You are saving yourself worry, stress, and hardship.  You are saving yourself from regrets and wasted time.  Let's face it, a crisis always costs a lot more to resolve than a small bump in the road!

By planning ahead, you're also left with more time to enjoy yourself, to relax and to have fun.  Security and order can actually bring about a tremendous sense of freedom!  Try using some of that chess strategy to give yourself an edge on a little extra happiness, and I promise you, your life will be much more awesome for the effort.

The Wiccan Rede (Long Version)

The Wiccan Rede is a set of moral, ethical, and spiritual guidelines that has been set into verse for those who practice.  Remember, this spirituality promotes the acts of peace toward all people, and respect for nature and the planet as a whole.  If you're looking for the full version of the Wiccan Rede, you've come to the right place.  Here it is!



Bide the Wiccan laws we must,
In perfect love and perfect trust.
Ye must live and let live,
Fairly take and fairly give.
Cast the circle thrice about,
To keep unwanted spirits out.
To bind the spell well every time,
Let the spell be spoken in rhyme.
Soft of eye and light of touch,
Speak ye little and listen much.
Deosil go by waxing moon, 
Chanting out the Wiccan runes.
Widdershins go by waning moon,
Chanting out the baneful tune.
When the Lady's moon is new, 
Kiss the hand to Her times two.
When the moon is at Her peak, 
Then the heart's desire seek.

Heed the North win's mighty gale;
Lock the door and trim the sail.
When the wind comes frome the South,
Love will kiss thee on the mouth.
When the moor wind blows from the West,
Departed spirits have no rest.
When the wind blows from the East,
Epect the new and set the fest.
Nine woods in the cauldron go,
Burn them quick, and burn them slow.
Elder be the Lady's tree;
Burn it not, or cursed be.

When the Wheel begins to turn,
Let the Beltane fires burn.
When the wheel has turned to Yule,
Light the log and the Horned One rules.
Heed ye flower, bush, and tree;
By the Lady, Blessed Be.
Where the rippling waters go,
Cast a stone, the truth to know.
When ye have and hold a need,
Harken not to other's greed.
With a fool no seasons spend,
Or be counted as his friend.

Merry Meet and Merry Part,
Bright the cheeks, and warm the heart.
Mind the Threefold Law ye should,
Three times bad, and three times good.
When misfortune is enow,
Wear the blue star on thy brow.
True in love ye must e're bee,
Lest thy love is false to thee.
These words the Wiccan Rede fulfill;
And ye harm none, do what ye will.

How to Prepare for a Spiritual Awakening

Everyone is composed of three basic layers: our body (the physical), our mind (the intellectual), and our soul (the spiritual).  Caring for our bodies is a fairly straightforward business.  Mental health can have its variations, but there are many consistencies from one person to the next.  However, the spirituality of each person can vary wildly from one to the next.  Spirituality centers around exploring our origins and our destinations; where our souls originate and where they will be going after our bodies have ceased to be, as well as the exploration of our place in this world, life's purposes and meanings.  While we all possess our own individual soul, not everyone in the world is destined to experience a life-altering spiritual transformation. 

It can be difficult to find information about spirituality that meshes well with our own personal needs.  Reading, doing research, and talking to other people can be great ways to explore new ideas.  However, when you don't exactly know where to start or what sort of spirituality experiences that you are seeking, it can be frustrating and often feel like a futile, fruitless search that never ends. 

Most people who embark upon spiritual quests will tell you that the search for your own life purpose and meaning can be a lifelong endeavor.  Even when you are unsure of where you're going or how to get there, we all have the ability to listen to our hearts.  Deep inside all of us is a voice that's reassuring us of the right path for us, letting us know that there is something more to our lives than simply the physical realm around us.

Take heart; the universe is infinite and ever-expanding.  Regardless of the place you're in right now, your spiritual identity will grow and evolve with each passing day.  Spirituality is a malleable, changeable thing.  The longer a person lives, the more information he or she gains.  As time passes, our worldview will change and so will our hearts and minds along with it.  There is so much all around us, beside us, and within us that can help to contribute to a rich and vibrant spiritual life.

Happy Birthday, Gemini!

Birthday greetings to our cool and interesting friend, the sweet Gemini!

Ruled by Mercury, Gemini loves to communicate; not just talk, but listen too.  Geminis tend to be intelligent and love mental stimulation.  Whether it's a quiet night at home reading books or a big party with tons of movers and shakers, the Gemini is ready to go!  Learning and connecting with other people come naturally to Gemini.  It's true that Gemini people tend to change their mind quickly, but that's just because they find the world so interesting, and they want to experience it all.  But they are also genuine and sincere folks who love to immerse themselves in whatever (and whomever) interests them.  A Gemini  can inspire others with their natural interest in people around them, and their tendency to love new adventures.

These are the communicators of the zodiac!  With a Gemini by your side, you're guaranteed to have a lot of interesting conversations!

Happy Birthday, Gemini friends!  We love you!

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

This work by ConsultTheSage.Com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

A Troll Poem

Just something I was thinking about lately... I remember it from childhood, and had no idea that Tolkien wrote it until today!

~~~

Troll sat alone on his seat of stone,
And munched and munched a bare old bone;
For many a year he had gnawed it near,
For meat was hard to come by.
Done by!  Gum by!
In a cave in the hills he dwelt alone,
And meat was hard to come by.

Up came Tom with his big boots on.
Said he to Troll, "Pray, what is yon?
For it looks like the shin o' my nuncle Tim,
As should be lyin' in graveyard.
Caveyard!  Paveyard!
This many a year has Tim been gone,
And I thought he were lyin' in graveyard!"

"For a couple o' pins," says Troll, and grins,
"I'll eat thee too, and gnaw thy shins.
A bit o' fresh meat will go down sweet!
I'll try my teeth on thee now.
Hee now!  See now!
I'm tired of gnawing old bones and skins.
I've a mind to dine on thee now."

"My lad," said Troll, "this bone I stole.
But what be bones that lie in a hole?
Thy nuncle was dead as a lump o' lead,
Afore I found his shinbone.
Tinbone!  Thinbone!
He can spare a share for a poor old Troll;
For he don't need his shinbone."

Said Tom:  "I don't see what the likes o' thee
Without axin' leave should go makin' free
With the shank or the shin o' my father's kin;
So hand the old bone over!
Rover!  Trover!
Though dead he be, it belongs to he;
So hand the old bone over!"

But just as he thought his dinner was caught,
He found his hands had hold of naught.
Before he could mind, Tom slipped behind
And gave him the boot to larn him.
Warn him!  Darn him!
A bump o' the boot on the seat, Tom thought,
Would be the way to larn him.

But harder than stone is the flesh and bone
Of a troll that sits in the hills alone.
As well set your boot to the mountain's root,
For the seat of a troll don't feel it.
Peel it!  Heal it!
Old Troll laughed, when he heard Tom groan,
And he knew his toes could feel it.

Tom's leg is game, since home he came,
And his bootless foot is lasting lame;
But Troll don't care, and he's still there
With the bone he boned from its owner.
Doner!  Boner!
Troll's old seat is still the same,
And the bone he boned from its owner.

-- J. R. R. Tolkien