tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57573354137192465272024-02-07T00:52:55.147-04:00The Soulcerer's PathA self-awareness blog to help attain clarity, strength, balance, knowledge, wisdom and peace-mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. In this blog we share gained wisdom and our thoughts to help transform our collective beliefs from limited, negative and misguided thoughts into positive, boundless and true awareness.soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.comBlogger558125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-26608685358879378582022-03-02T14:39:00.009-04:002022-03-02T17:02:01.552-04:00Let there be peace<p>When I taught psychology of women and gender, I used to teach that the personal was political. As I reflect on the current war, my heart aches for the Ukrainian people, for the mothers and the fathers of those who are now fighting in this war, for the children who are now fighting in this war, for those of us who feel impotent, anxious and heartbroken over the violently manifested conflict that affects so many areas of so many people’s lives, some more devastatingly so. This occupies my heart and my mind today. And while we wait on what will happen next and what I as a person can do, I am meditating on the fact that the political is personal and the personal is political. My personal political statement is a call for peace. Today is a good day to ground ourselves in thoughts of peaceful resolution. Today is a good day to breathe slowly and deeply, to light a candle and pray: </p><div style="text-align: left;">Peace in my heart<br />Peace in my mind<br />Peace in my body<br />Peace in home<br />Peace in my country</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Peace in your heart<br />Peace in your mind<br />Peace in your body<br />Peace in your home<br />Peace in your country</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Peace in Ukraine’s heart<br />Peace in Ukraine’s mind<br />Peace in Ukraine’s body<br />Peace in Ukraine’s home<br />Peace in Ukraine</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>Peace in my enemy’s heart<br />Peace in my enemy’s mind<br />Peace in my enemy’s body<br />Peace in my enemy’s home<br />Peace in my enemy’s country<br /><br /></div><div>Peace in our hearts<br />Peace in our minds<br />Peace in our bodies<br />Peace in our homes<br />Peace in our countries<br /><br /></div><div>Let there be peace</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibaxLZNFP3VOQYBcRqJZ9juwkMmPFxOahLqti70Hckdc-KApO9kn8DjJK7sVPzueY4o3iG8Gvp1wY97sUL0yGMiEdo10TehC7JCck-4AtGRF8-LJkTSYadrBzV1I0JWhoCMuibTfgg1KJvO4j7zP2fHKGZLJtiE9wE36mPVFcIsrgrsOSIfz49Kmu94w=s275" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibaxLZNFP3VOQYBcRqJZ9juwkMmPFxOahLqti70Hckdc-KApO9kn8DjJK7sVPzueY4o3iG8Gvp1wY97sUL0yGMiEdo10TehC7JCck-4AtGRF8-LJkTSYadrBzV1I0JWhoCMuibTfgg1KJvO4j7zP2fHKGZLJtiE9wE36mPVFcIsrgrsOSIfz49Kmu94w" width="275" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-31374417235489293022020-03-27T12:59:00.001-04:002020-03-27T13:01:41.385-04:00Free as caged birdsIt's Friday. I have been working all week, sitting among my books and all sorts of creature comforts. I have been productive. I have seen all my clients, virtually, so far this week. There's a sense of peace in such productivity and maintenance of certain aspects of my practice. At home, we are well, we engage with each other, although not as much as I thought we would. Each of us in our little corners minding our to-dos, lovingly supporting each other.<br />
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It's Friday and I am craving homekeeping. So I decided to pull out the laundry and wash some clothes between sessions. I find that the day is absolutely beautiful as sunlight flows through the downstairs glass windows. It is a nice contrast from the natural darkness of my sweet cave. As I move about, I can sense a sadness that I had not been aware of. And I get it. I have been working from home for a long time, even if I keep a separate office and teach on-site at the university. Home is still base for me. We are a work-from-home family, as so many others are. Yet, it has been our option. The sense of obligation to stay home takes away from the choice, from the sense of having the freedom to choose to work from home. The feeling hurts even more because the reasons to stay home are so dire. The feeling of uncertainty, lack of control and powerlessness are taking their toll. I get it. I understand.<br />
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There's a collective ache that ails us. And the initial freedom some of us felt at being able to stay home and decide over our time and activities is wanning. As quarantine measures expand and get stricter, our states of mind deteriorate, our moods sulk, our hearts sadden, and our souls forsake joy. This affects our mental health, our relationships, our physical health, and our sense of wellbeing. We become dispirited.<br />
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It will be to our benefit, to our highest good, to allow these circumstances to be without our insistence on their wrongness. Today is a good day to accept that it is what it is and to find our freedom in our seclusion. We have liberty in what we choose to think, believe and feel. We have freedom in what we choose to share on social media and in our contributions. We can choose what we read, what we write, what we entertain ourselves with. We can tend to our plants, pet our pups, stretch our bodies, learn something new, play, meditate, doodle, finally create that blog, nurture hope, workout, and catch up with long forgotten dreams. And we can sing. We can always sing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at pinterest.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span><br />
<br />soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-23407062311332121402020-03-17T18:46:00.000-04:002020-03-17T18:46:07.401-04:00RetreatThey say that time heals all wounds. Time heals. Time is a master, a teacher, a healer, a friend. It is a gift. Time has been gifted to us to commune, to feel and to join soulfully in the collective suffering of this pandemic. This is a time to learn and to cooperate with others and with what is. This is a time to rest, to mend and amend.<br />
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We rarely have these opportunities to connect with what matters. We now have a chance to connect more mindfully with others, to enrich our relationships, especially with ourselves. Today is a good day to retreat where we are. Let's take this period to reflect, read, write, play, laugh, dream, and reset our hurried clocks. Let's take this time to fill our bodies with deep and slow breaths. That we may feel fully what we don't regularly take the time to feel. Let's retreat into communal and physically distanced solitude, to be closer than ever in a common ground of experience. Let's draw back and return more conscious, more mindful, more peaceful, and ever-thankful for this gift of time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazWdJxtP3kfh5ZJQy8r6wOxxEYbJanprsH72ynGRRV45K5nZAK7-DjGaI2sxDP5hyphenhyphenhBOXZgJnAsz-R0OImYwzjgXfXeg0dqMxKcnPppn-LKhn8HfbI2mun80Y7qwCoQjji6uYCVhbmPNW/s1600/colorful-mandala-kaleidoscope-purple-blue-orange-matthias-hauser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazWdJxtP3kfh5ZJQy8r6wOxxEYbJanprsH72ynGRRV45K5nZAK7-DjGaI2sxDP5hyphenhyphenhBOXZgJnAsz-R0OImYwzjgXfXeg0dqMxKcnPppn-LKhn8HfbI2mun80Y7qwCoQjji6uYCVhbmPNW/s320/colorful-mandala-kaleidoscope-purple-blue-orange-matthias-hauser.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at fineartamerica.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-27601986383093805172019-08-23T08:27:00.002-04:002021-05-19T12:42:11.267-04:00The timing of thingsMy dad has repeated to me over the years, especially when I was younger, before I finally learned the lesson, <i>everything in its time</i>. It took years and life experience for me to learn and appreciate what this really meant. I've been meditating on this thought throughout this summer. <i>Everything in its time</i>.<br />
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This summer was my time to disconnect a bit to sort, organize, attend to details, and center myself. We as a family are before the next steps on our individual and shared paths. Through this summertime, I understood that it is time to walk my talk, to step in the direction that will lead to my next big goal, to simultaneously and in communion walk with my loved ones. Synchronicities all around me are supporting my decision. Words like wonder and adventure are popping up everywhere for me.<br />
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Today is a good day to meditate on the thought <i>everything in its time</i>. What is this time allowing us? What are we ready for? What can we focus on right now? What can we cultivate?<br />
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The contemplation during these summer months allowed to make soulful choices. I have decided to stop posting this blog for a while. It's the right timing of things. I'll always write, but, for the time being, I will focus on this wonder-full and adventure-filled time before me. I pray that you as well find the right timing of things and that we meet again, soon. I am so thankful to you for walking this path with me these past few years. In time, we’ll do it again. I send you love and light, always. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at fineartamerica.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-85991911564357721442019-05-31T10:33:00.001-04:002019-05-31T10:33:12.188-04:00Do as you wishI wish to travel. I wish to take whole summers off to write, abroad. I wish to spend more time with my family, to enjoy my husband and my son. There are so many things I wish for.<br />
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There are two ways in which I can look at my wish list. I can look at all the ways it's not happening right now or I can look at all the ways I'm making it happen. When I focus on the obstacles, I move further and further away from my dreams. Yet, I can do things that make me feel that I'm on the path.<br />
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Though I can't buy airplane tickets just yet, I can forgo the extra latte in the afternoon and put that money towards my travel fund. Though I can't take this summer off to write in Bali, I am working towards the long-term plan. That gives me tremendous joy. I don't feel the possibility, I feel more than that. I feel the probability, I feel the energy, I feel the joy at the thought, I feel how everything I am doing is unfolding according to my wish. Though I have had a bout of long work days, I'm dropping everything to connect with my husband and my son every chance I get. I practice everything that I have learned and teach about productivity and efficiency to be able to do that. I do as I wish.<br />
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Today is a good day to do as we wish. When we do as we wish, we invoke our wishes, we break the centrifugal force of the status quo that keeps us stuck in place. Let's not work against our goals, dreams and desires. Let's work towards them. Let's not focus on what we don't like or want, on the impediments, on the naysayers, on negative experiences, or pessimistic views. Let's call on our intentions and infuse everything we think, say and do with them. Let our thoughts, words, attention and actions be in the spirit of what we want. Let's do as we wish and charge our course to make it happen.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at pinterest.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span></div>
soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-5325889497916784612019-05-17T09:49:00.001-04:002019-05-17T11:24:03.399-04:00IncantationHe posted a meme about words and spells and why it's called spelling. Right on! I absolutely love this meme. It's about how we create everyday magic.<br />
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For many of us, positivity and optimism may not come so easily. Getting chipper when times are gloomy may not be in our nature. But we don't help ourselves when we use words in ways that bring us or keep us down. Words have power. They are magicians' most powerful tool. Words are our most powerful tool. What we say to ourselves can keep us angry, discouraged, heartbroken, pessimistic, stuck, frustrated, jealous, and low-spirited. Conversely, what we say to ourselves can inspire us, uplift us, free us, enlighten us, soothe us, support and encourage us, and move us forward.<br />
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Today is a good day to use the energy of our words for our own good. If we're at a point where being positive is too big a leap, then let's inch forward with words that bring neutrality to our moods. When we can't get there, the thought of <i>this too shall pass</i> can help. Our words can bring alchemy to any situation or relationship. We can bless or curse, respect or blaspheme, lift or burden, learn or victimize ourselves, move on or blame, understand or judge, respond or react, help or drag, raise hopes or cast fear, deepen heartfelt bonds or break us apart. What we say affects us and affects others. Our words can attract or repel, open dialogues or be disagreeable, invite goodwill or damper cooperation, collaboration and empathy, hurt or comfort. What we say to ourselves and others can transcend or bind. What will we say today?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPtnCpEmGbuQ1Qvu4kzkzyP5boAAFxGNA-7838D98j_vAtbz2SNi4SBrYk7w1QOSC4Dy0aivSPHql0uMMUZvMbVakC_VBImhiw3Iv11-WWzCJnZrzAe1q2Oyoe5ls5dXPuVSCGsAZnbaG/s1600/tie-dye-mandala-yellow-orange-red-pink-sharalee-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="899" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPtnCpEmGbuQ1Qvu4kzkzyP5boAAFxGNA-7838D98j_vAtbz2SNi4SBrYk7w1QOSC4Dy0aivSPHql0uMMUZvMbVakC_VBImhiw3Iv11-WWzCJnZrzAe1q2Oyoe5ls5dXPuVSCGsAZnbaG/s320/tie-dye-mandala-yellow-orange-red-pink-sharalee-art.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at pixels.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span><br />
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soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-83696260679114664462019-05-10T21:26:00.001-04:002019-07-12T15:20:16.025-04:00Pain speaksI know better. I know better! But here I am again, ignoring what I’ve learned, and feeling the pain I tried to numb. Now, what started off as a slight pain in my lower back has become a throbbing, shooting and electricity-throwing pain that makes sitting, walking and laying down an almost impossible feat.<br />
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If you’ve ever been to the dentist for a tooth removal, you know what it feels like when the Novocaine finally wears out. If you’ve had a cesarean section, you know what it feels like when the spinal anesthetic wears off. If you’ve had a cold sore, you know how your lip wants to fall off when the numbing gel no longer numbs the soar. Each of these instances requires that we pay attention in different ways to our bodies. That we take care of an issue. Before going to the dentist, the hospital or the pharmacy, pain alerted us that something was not right. We either heed and take care of the underlying issue or we numb it, ignore it, and then finally deal with it. In the end, we must feel the pain, listen to it and take care accordingly.<br />
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I should have listened. My back was whispering <i>stop, take care, rest, recharge.</i> I ignored it and now it’s screaming <i>I told you to stop, take care, rest and recharge! </i><br />
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Today is a good day to, in a similar way, listen to what our pain is telling us. Whether physical, emotional or spiritual, pain is an indicator that something is out of alignment, out of sync. Numbing the pain through substances, food, medication, alcohol, neglectful behavior, binge tv-watching or social media marathon sessions does not deal with it. Numbing the pain does not resolve what is causing it. Sooner or later we have to deal with the cause. Let’s pay attention to our pain. Let’s be aware of where it points to, of what is asking for our attention, of what needs tending to, of what changes we need to make, what patterns we need to break, what new habits we need to form, which emotions we need to deal with, and what consciousness we need to keep. Only then can we relieve the pain and heal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdpwvnfFkrZ6mB9x8zZ2T7JOkAR1pUhJe_iLSIO7N7eJ8kqV-_7-g0eYobjTYaV_5t6qPHWdIhE_Tl_XZ6eofShhmhzi4FrytV4aimmsDoyBlNJSxGyh2EwJI0VoUjHA1OJzmKIFqvVrA/s1600/1-bright-mandala-michell-rosenthal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="900" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdpwvnfFkrZ6mB9x8zZ2T7JOkAR1pUhJe_iLSIO7N7eJ8kqV-_7-g0eYobjTYaV_5t6qPHWdIhE_Tl_XZ6eofShhmhzi4FrytV4aimmsDoyBlNJSxGyh2EwJI0VoUjHA1OJzmKIFqvVrA/s320/1-bright-mandala-michell-rosenthal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at fineartamerica.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span><br />
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<br />soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-78324510648615481702019-04-26T10:04:00.002-04:002019-04-26T10:04:23.719-04:00Hungry? When I'm happy, I eat like it's nobody's business. I don't even mind one bit. I can eat. And I enjoy it so very much. The only thing that ever affects my appetite is anger. It hasn't been a big deal in the last few years. Yet, recently, in dealing with an issue about unneighborly neighbors, I noticed my hands were shaking, I had a headache and my body felt frail and weak. I suddenly realized I had skipped lunch...and dinner. I was not even hungry. I was filled with anger. But that anger was not doing anything good for my body. Nor was it doing anything good for my mind or my spirit. I was frazzled, confused, graceless, unproductive, snippy, and uninspired. I needed to eat.<br />
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Our bodies are so affected by our mood states. Temples of our souls, our bodies need more tangible sustenance than mere emotions. With proper nourishment, a sense of healing can make ready the way for us to feel good, to sort things out, to mend. With proper nourishment of our bodies, we can help nurture our souls. When we’re sad, angry, depressed, or anxious, taking care of our bodies is vital to our healing, our clear-thinking and our feeling good.<br />
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Today is a good day to check in with our moods and frames of mind. With an awareness of how we are feeling, we can consciously make healthier choices for our bodies and our minds. That awareness can help us get clarity and presence of mind, composure, serenity, and a sense of calm. That awareness can help us choose better thoughts to feed our mind and better actions to sustain our bodies, energizing our general sense of wellness. Once we realize how we are feeling, we can choose, not from that feeling, but from a higher awareness of that feeling, to do something good for both our bodies and minds, and for our souls.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-45510092196593684042019-04-12T13:15:00.003-04:002019-04-12T13:15:41.390-04:00If you must knowOnce you know, you know. Once you know, you can't deny it. Once you know, you are shaped by what you know. Choices, perceptions, interactions, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and actions are under the influence of what you know. But to know, you have to be aware. And to be aware you have to be present. You have to be wholly here, now.<br />
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Sometimes we feel something is off. Maybe our stress level is higher than usual, or relationships are in distress, our health is suffering, our jobs are in jeopardy, or our creativity is gone. Maybe we just can't seem to get anything right. Or maybe we just don't have any motivation. Whatever it is, we talk about it, complain about it, judge it, look into it, research it, and consult about it, but we can't seem to figure it out. We just can't seem to know. What if, instead of trying to know, we do nothing?<br />
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Today is a good day to do nothing about it. Let's be here right now without a plan, except to be aware. Let's tune in to our bodies, our feelings, our emotions, our moods, and our thought currents. Let's tune in and create no thought about it. Let's just be aware without any conclusions or opinions. Let's pay attention. In this mindful state we become conscious and knowing. What could we learn without our interference and resistance? In practicing mindful awareness, what can we know? <br />
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-65752215584375647372019-03-29T14:59:00.001-04:002019-03-29T15:07:40.945-04:00The differenceNothing changed. No-thing in her life changed. Everything was the same. Her job was just as far away from home, her mother was just as critical, her ex-boyfriend was just as un predicatble, her relationship with her family was just as complicated, and her circumstances were just as difficult. Yet, she was calm, healthy and, even, happy. She finally realized that though she controlled nothing, it was all up to her.<br />
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What we experience has less to do with others and external factors and more to do with our perception of others and those external factors. We can accept what is or resist it. In acceptance, we grow and flow. In resistance, we struggle and exhaust ourselves. Our perception can help us deal with what is or can block us. We can see every obstacle or every challenge. We can see every ordeal or every adventure. We can see the annoyance or the opportunity to exercise patience and to grow in understanding.<br />
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Today is a good day to change nothing, except the way we see things. Life is full of events. The meaning of those events is up to us. We can see things in ways that are helpful to us or in ways that will hinder our personal evolution. Let us see things as happening for us and not to us. In seeing differently, we give ourselves a break from thoughts that bring us down to thoughts that lift us up and carry us through. Between a life full of <i>meh</i> and a life full of growth and joy is our perception. And that is the difference.<br />
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span></td></tr>
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soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-3207211367032415262019-03-22T11:35:00.000-04:002019-03-22T11:35:07.449-04:00GrowingThis is probably the wisest thought I have ever resisted: it is in crisis that we grow. I´m a very pragmatic person. I like to flow. I avoid obstacles. I plan. I organize. I like things to go as expected. I wouldn´t say I like it easy. But I like the flow, uninterrupted. So accepting complications and hurdles was not easy for me. That is until I started to appreciate the challenge, the growth, the evolution, until I started to see what I perceived as difficulties in a new light. I started to see things as happening for me instead of to me. In relaxing my defensiveness and resistance, I gained clarity and openness.<br />
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What is your challenge right now? What are you struggling with? What are you resisting? Could you see it without judgment? Could you accept it as it is? What can you learn from this experience? How can you grow as a result of it?<br />
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Today is a good day to set our emotions aside, to detach feeling from our thoughts of our present circumstances. We grow when we bust out of our comfort zone. We bust out of our comfort zone only when we accept our situation as it is, not wishing it were different, not opposing it or denying it. If we are able to see things as they are, without judgment, we are able to change them and in changing them we are brave, we are wise and we grow.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at mandalasforthesoul.com<br /><br /><span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span></td></tr>
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soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-54134219061971692862019-03-08T08:13:00.001-04:002019-03-08T08:13:55.543-04:00In with the love, out with the jive<i>In with the love, out with the jive</i>. I heard this in a cartoon many, many years ago. Since then, it has become one of my favorite mantras. There are moments that are so overwhelming that it seems like the world will collapse under my feet at any moment and I will fall into a deep, dark, bottomless whole. But a pause, a deep inhale and an <i>In with the love, out with the jive </i>as I slowly exhale brings me back to center, to a place of wiser perspective and an almost surreal calm. It allows me a moment of forbearance long enough to reach for inner strength and to remember what I've learned. Yet, many times I forget that I can do this, that I know how to detach from nervous reactivity to the chaos around me. When I react, I echo the turmoil. Nothing great ever comes of this. I end up tired, confused, angry, sad, and so unproductive. I keep going back to thoughts that cannot help pull me out of the storm. What can I do?<br />
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Ah, I can choose a different thought. I can choose to do something different. I can remember to breathe in love, breathe out the thoughts that cannot help me. Today is a good day to make a short list of thoughts and actions that can help us. Worry never protects us, fear never motivates us into creative action, anxiety never pulls us out of distress, negativity will never open us up to new ideas, and mused anger does not give us clarity or positive direction. What can we remember today that will inspire us? What thoughts can we cultivate that will move us into inner peace, prosperity, joy, or simply feeling good? What thoughts can we repeat to ourselves that will bring us up rather than keep us down? What action can we take in order to reap in beauty, enthusiasm, excitement, passion, and good vibes?<br />
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-47639625947251646752019-03-01T08:26:00.001-04:002020-03-17T18:12:44.235-04:00How do you do it?<i>How do you do it?, </i>she asked while wiping away her tears. She was feeling overwhelmed, tired, anxious, and sad. She couldn't understand how I manage everything that I do while she can never finish anything on time. She feels she is drowning in obligations and responsibilities. I smiled and said, <i>one little bit at a time</i>. People are amazed at everything I accomplish in a day, seemingly without getting frazzled. The truth is I'm on the verge of getting frazzled many times in a day. Yet, feeling that way is my signal that something is off, that I'm reacting, forgetting what I believe in, answering to the speed at which others would have me run. And it is then that I remind myself that the way to do it is one little bit at a time.<br />
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There is, of course, more to it than just doing it one bit at a time. There's my list of priorities, my to-do list, my appointments and commitments. Ah, and there's my list of non-negotiables: my spiritual and contemplative practices and my self-care rituals. Once I'm clear about all of these, I do them one bit at a time. It doesn't fail. It's magic.<br />
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One little bit at a time I'm able to focus on the task at hand. Not having my attention divided allows me to complete whatever I'm working on in a shorter amount of time than when multi-tasking. I also make less mistakes and am able to enjoy whatever I'm doing. When I exercise this level of awareness I flow knowing what to do next, when to readjust a plan, how to respond to the unforeseen, and to be in sync with the cosmos. One little bit at a time also allows me to see when I'm loosing my groove, giving me the opportunity to refocus, to stay disciplined, and motivated.<br />
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Today is a good day to practice mindful doing. Let's take a few minutes this morning to breathe in gratitude for all that we have and are responsible for and breathe out our grievances. Let's take a few minutes to breathe in clarity and breathe out confusion and the rush of the world. Let's breathe in trust and breathe out doubt. Let's breathe is belief in possibility and breathe out contrary feelings. Let's be clear on what is important and what we have to do today, and then, let's do it...one little bit at a time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at society6.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-35670144109845551932019-02-15T08:34:00.002-04:002019-02-15T08:36:09.164-04:00The trickDarkness, that feeling of despair, hopelessness, sorrow, anger, and pessimism, is a trickster. Darkness pretends to be a friend. It comforts us. It offers us excuses to be right, indignant, and resentful. Darkness tricks us, fools us into seeing dark intentions and problems everywhere. It concedes us rights we don't really have. It clouds our mind with thoughts of victimhood, giving us a sense of entitlement. It lures us into fear and everything fear would have us believe.<br />
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Yet, darkness is never total and absolute. The tiniest bit of light negates it. The tiniest bit of hope rights the trickster. The trick to detach ourselves from darkness is to turn our eyes away from it.<br />
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Today is a good day to shift our attention towards that bit of light. Let's turn towards that bit of good in our day, towards what's working, towards what brings a smile to our face, towards what is a blessing, towards something beautiful and inspiring. Let's not allow the darkness to disempower us, to lull us into complacency, to make foolish decisions, or to giving in and giving up. Let's find rays of light to pierce through and light up one moment at a time. The darkness lies. The light reveals. Let us believe the light.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtQ4cteOs3w1gNY4fU9ckKbCft0h4VPrVnIElv18w4YPRfhAsM2sAFwhRiCEMwQawzB7XLqb960Ero9FX4xTsVbOpIX-oNoKXthbozP2rIY0AoWrOFFzIcA2Tw_KHn861kmpwzw1uXc1u/s1600/Golden-mandala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1000" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqtQ4cteOs3w1gNY4fU9ckKbCft0h4VPrVnIElv18w4YPRfhAsM2sAFwhRiCEMwQawzB7XLqb960Ero9FX4xTsVbOpIX-oNoKXthbozP2rIY0AoWrOFFzIcA2Tw_KHn861kmpwzw1uXc1u/s320/Golden-mandala.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at gratitude.com.au.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-6430430808459026212019-02-01T09:27:00.002-04:002019-02-01T09:54:14.617-04:00Hello, SunMy son doesn't have to go to school today. This is great because I have a long list of things to do, a list that is a mile long. I have treatment plans to finish, progress notes to write, lesson plans to put together, bookkeeping and accounting, a lunch date with my dad, follow-up calls to make, emails to answer, and housework. Not having to drive him to school this morning helps because it can easily take 45 minutes to an hour roundtrip, depending on the traffic. With the found time, I decided to get a jump on the day. I slept an extra hour.<br />
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I did. I woke up an hour later than usual. That was my intention. I took some time to do the dishes, slowly and gladly, in a spontaneous and improvised gratitude meditation while the coffee brewed. I then sat and sipped my coffee in the daybreak's silence. My day's work pending, I wrote for a while, a handwritten ritual I like to do to release my thoughts and feelings. I took advantage of the time, in the quiet and serenity, to pay attention to myself. With the clock tick-tocking, I breathed deeply and did a sun salutation, a mindful and present yoga sequence to connect my body to the newly born day. As I laid in Shavasana, done, thankful and ready, my son walked in. Puzzled, he asked, <i>I thought you had a busy day today</i>? Well, I do, yet I think that all too often we forgo our self-care to push through laundry lists. We almost never finish them and we stay tired, moody and overwhelmed. On days like today, self-care can be precisely what helps us get through.<br />
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Today is a good day to put ourselves first that we may achieve what we have committed to. Mindfully taking care of ourselves helps us sustain the rhythms of life we hold, see meaning in our experience, prime ourselves for the day ahead, calibrate our moods, have meaningful connections and relationships, find strength, vitality and mental clarity, be effective and productive, be less reactive, be calm, have a healthier perspective, and be more joyful. Greeting the day by greeting ourselves first allows us to bend time, to be inspired, to create, to be more lucid. Today, let's run, practice yoga, swim, dance, or go for a walk. Let's meditate, pray or sit in quiet contemplation. Let's read something interesting and inspiring. By taking care of our bodies, our spirits and our minds first, we will be taking care of everything that matters to us. Before anything else today, say hello to the day, say hello to yourself.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM9F7gWOi-wVJD8-Q1HTrzeu6OgKz1TbweBg9umBw5NVsXfkC-gepXgApuyoNWSQAEwaYHezzZWEiIoWwu32VSe2Nqe1Mt76hnZyGQNybEMR7eXC3aeLus1PvvNBpEfqyZl1G25rRdpHG/s1600/https---amyfortier.files.wordpress.com-2012-02-dscn2724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJM9F7gWOi-wVJD8-Q1HTrzeu6OgKz1TbweBg9umBw5NVsXfkC-gepXgApuyoNWSQAEwaYHezzZWEiIoWwu32VSe2Nqe1Mt76hnZyGQNybEMR7eXC3aeLus1PvvNBpEfqyZl1G25rRdpHG/s320/https---amyfortier.files.wordpress.com-2012-02-dscn2724.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at amyfortier.com</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-76054349563244780012019-01-25T07:45:00.001-04:002019-01-25T07:48:32.763-04:00Keep it coming<span style="color: #666666; text-align: center;">I hung up the phone, angrily. The customer service representative, the fourth one I spoke with on that day about that particular issue, did not and would not fix the mistake they themselves made. I was out of options. Well, I was out of the options that made sense and that I would be happy with. The only options left were inconvenient and troublesome for us. I called the next number. Another mistake made by another company. Again, their customer service was ill-equipped to fix their mistake. The last few days have been a parade of recurring issues served up by mediocre customer service. I was angry. I stayed angry. It kept coming. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; text-align: center;">What was going on? How could I be experiencing the same issues with different businesses? Was it a joke? A cosmic prank? What did I have to do to break this cycle? I had had enough frustration and anger. I was not about to put up with poor excuses, rudeness and incompetence. Yet, that was my problem, the not putting up with. I resisted what was happening. My anger didn't break anyone but me. I was drained and the problem was still unresolved. Until I loosened up my resistance to what was happening, the same issues kept coming up. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; text-align: center;">I was rigid and in that rigidity I lost my ability to flow, to see anything but the problem. The flow of grace that I'm used to never guarantees that things won't go wrong, it just helps me flow when they do. When I accept what is, my emotions stay in check, my imagination comes up with the most wonderful solutions, and I can deal. And then, the flow starts and keeps presenting me with more of what I prefer, what heals, what fixes, what works. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; text-align: center;">Today is a good day to let go of our unyielding ideas of how things should be and how people should act. Let's be willing to be open to other solutions, to the highest and best good in all situations. Let's allow a flow in a different direction than the one we insist on. Let's allow new ideas, attitudes and beliefs to present more favorable outcomes. Let's keep our minds and hearts receptive and responsive. Let's let grace in. It'll keep coming. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbLGYM9hKiY0jarEe3ANNV46SNBf8DbyOFgKzHz-1-q-GuL3RrsQXq6pSdeX2ZjlcTu2syXkFC1MO4hSOLqWMosAhyphenhyphenczME-vSL8zlebblCGA-GZzIk515JuThh-P_hChfQfe-SV4yZO2k/s1600/mandala-full-color.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="620" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbLGYM9hKiY0jarEe3ANNV46SNBf8DbyOFgKzHz-1-q-GuL3RrsQXq6pSdeX2ZjlcTu2syXkFC1MO4hSOLqWMosAhyphenhyphenczME-vSL8zlebblCGA-GZzIk515JuThh-P_hChfQfe-SV4yZO2k/s320/mandala-full-color.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at oeljay.com</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-5938756050142714092019-01-18T08:37:00.000-04:002019-01-18T08:37:30.644-04:00Bored out of my mindIt's been a while. For a time now, I have woken up each day before everyone else in the house. I like to take time each morning to gather my thoughts quietly. I read, I write, I drink my coffee, I pray, I meditate, I do yoga. Sometimes I just sit, sip my coffee and let my mind wander. I've learned to resist the urge to "take advantage of the quiet time" to work, to plan, or to organize. I just sit and let my thoughts stray. It can get pretty boring.<br />
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Being bored, though, has a wonderfully soothing effect to it. After a while, something lights up inside, something that stays dimmed when we are distracted by entertainment, busy work, and the constant scrolling of electronics. Don't get me wrong, entertainment is necessary to a balanced life, yet, too much of it, or of the wrong kind, can make us dull.<br />
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Today is a good day to be bored out of our minds. Let's let our minds roam, get lost. Let's let a little disconnection from the news feed, streaming and cyberspace bore us out of our minds and into our imagination, creativity and flow. Let's let our souls feel supreme. If we're mindful about it, being bored can ignite amazing ideas within us, pacify that anxious energy we get from wanting to constantly know what's going on out there, and open our mind's eye to insight and intuition. Mindful boredom can relax our awareness so that we can appreciate the beauty around us, be more attentive, know ourselves better, connect more deeply, strengthen our relationships, and enjoy the stuff of our days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-M1KrlTUmfSx1qqsY_p6UFXNSxBeQkU2KUdEsrpoEmb1_oe28KJYvnw3IPE-80i41ZvRtns57rd-k5eNaaZeUQThhLqxNK5VU9ffbShsABRjKksNJY6s0G-OydjI5rXTtYNmSFXlm0GM/s1600/sacred-mandala-joy-mckenzie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="897" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-M1KrlTUmfSx1qqsY_p6UFXNSxBeQkU2KUdEsrpoEmb1_oe28KJYvnw3IPE-80i41ZvRtns57rd-k5eNaaZeUQThhLqxNK5VU9ffbShsABRjKksNJY6s0G-OydjI5rXTtYNmSFXlm0GM/s200/sacred-mandala-joy-mckenzie.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at fineartamerica.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-27228678575495171262019-01-04T08:57:00.001-04:002019-01-04T08:57:01.379-04:00You snooze, you gainI know, I know. The saying is <i>You snooze, you lose </i>and it calls us to be hyper-alert to everything that is going on around us so that we don't miss out on opportunities. It calls us to jump in without delay or someone else will take the opening, the chance. Yet, I think that this state of hyper-arousal keeps us stressed, anxious, defensive, and worried. It also drains our energy interfering with our ability to make decisions and depressing our moods. Jumping in also affects our ability to relate to others. We assume too quickly, we don't listen patiently, and we dismiss briskly leading us to misunderstanding and defensiveness.<br />
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When we snooze, when we pause, we gain. When we take a moment without jumping in, we are less reactive, more composed, and more attuned what is best in a particular circumstance. We allow good in. We open up to ideas and opportunities that we had not even considered. When we pause, we give ourselves the chance to learn, to grow, and to let goodwill prevail.<br />
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Today is a good day to snooze, even for a moment. Let's allow the power of pausing to alchemize our interactions with others, to allow greater ideas to flow without our interference, and for other possibilities to grow. Let's allow wonderful things to unfold without our forceful intervention. Snoozing before reacting to what we perceive is an alarm is an invocation to higher wisdom and grace, allowing us to be calm, clearheaded, and receptive to what is best.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OQvKOcg5t4SEQuECj5LyWeCnyWrQPBhflAPo005tA1cx_5ZOvupCwhLSiaS_s4F__ofmHQ4HvfWprBMV4hduUZ4SWdWpNf8F3M_CQqodJbWK79BieT7ET5-Q1Tu8cYpJajIztZEMW-gd/s1600/http---www.mandalas.com-wp-content-uploads-2011-04-Bright-Star-Mandala-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="390" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2OQvKOcg5t4SEQuECj5LyWeCnyWrQPBhflAPo005tA1cx_5ZOvupCwhLSiaS_s4F__ofmHQ4HvfWprBMV4hduUZ4SWdWpNf8F3M_CQqodJbWK79BieT7ET5-Q1Tu8cYpJajIztZEMW-gd/s200/http---www.mandalas.com-wp-content-uploads-2011-04-Bright-Star-Mandala-copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at mandalas.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-54952039095119610932018-12-21T10:49:00.002-04:002018-12-21T10:49:41.602-04:00The Naughty ListWho keeps Santa's list? You know, The Naughty or Nice List. This is one job I wouldn't want to have–to keep track of who does good and who does bad. How would I really know? How could I judge another without an absolute understanding of their background, upbringing, beliefs, thought processes, state of emotions, sense of self, and level of awareness? Yet, we do this everyday. Some of us more than others. Some of us, more purposefully than others. Yet, when we do, it's not for the mythical list, it's for reasons that do not serve us or a higher purpose.<br />
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Keeping track of the morality or righteousness of others' actions taints our own morality. While we judge others, we are diverting our attention from our own actions which is where our focus really makes a difference. Moreover, keeping track of the rights or wrongs that others make drains us of precious energy, and makes us gossipy, pessimistic, unpleasant and negative. It is not our job to condemn or absolve others. We do better by allowing others to be, to learn, to do, to atone, to grow, to walk their path. Our judgment stands in the way of their growth and ours.<br />
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Today is a good day to hold a space where people can abide without judgment. Let us offer acceptance, empathy, compassion, patience, kindness, and generosity of spirit. Let us relax our critical minds and open our hearts and minds to lightness of being, inner peace, equanimity, friendliness, hospitality, benevolence, warmth and, in so, enjoy a general sense of ease, tranquility and peace. Let us relax our judgment that we may smile, enjoy the moment, take pleasure in the holiday spirit, make cheerful memories, and have a good time. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qNniwRVBftvQv4EsvBsY3exlDDFQI7dESk-r7T5omxSHrFDOzTOAuJKBAfH5n2jLZPJ3oeQRLnyxMjpB2KN34jz-b2IKZDyhson-nPOIz2HgTR5iG5hoxNbdMyMJFQxci-aAxhBRYCdE/s1600/http---laoblogger.com-images-christmas-mandala-clipart-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qNniwRVBftvQv4EsvBsY3exlDDFQI7dESk-r7T5omxSHrFDOzTOAuJKBAfH5n2jLZPJ3oeQRLnyxMjpB2KN34jz-b2IKZDyhson-nPOIz2HgTR5iG5hoxNbdMyMJFQxci-aAxhBRYCdE/s320/http---laoblogger.com-images-christmas-mandala-clipart-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at laoblogger.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-52043088350405652192018-12-14T08:38:00.000-04:002018-12-21T10:06:29.740-04:00What would my mother do? She taught my to be kind in all circumstances, to be generous with what I have and who I am. There are no reasons to be unkind was always the message, said or unsaid. She has lived and continues to live this way. Even in her strict and stern ways, my mother is always kind and always generous.<br />
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When someone rubs me the wrong way, is a jerk, is nasty, speaks ill of me or anyone else or acts wrong, my first instinct is to respond in-kind, to give them back what they dish out. But then a voice somewhere in the ether says <i>What would mom do </i>(WWMD)? When I mindfully consider the question, I respond in a way that not only would make my mother proud, it makes me proud. I am reminded that I am capable of making wiser choices, that I can be kind, that I can be generous. WWMD has become a guiding principle.<br />
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The other day we ordered groceries. The tab came in a little higher than I had budgeted for, so when I went to my wallet to get cash for a tip for the delivery person, I pulled a $1 bill. A $1 bill! Geez, it's Christmastime and I pull a $1 bill! My mom would have given him a more generous tip and not hesitated. That's what she would have done. The voice of WWMD came over me, thankfully, before I handed him the tip. I did the kind thing.<br />
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The highest version of myself has been built of many things my mother taught me. This highest version of myself now has a voice of its own. It helps me choose what to think, what to say, what to do, what tone of voice to use, how to walk into a room, and what attitude to carry. Today is a good day to ask <i>WWMHSD</i>? What would my higher self do? We know. We know what the highest version of ourself would do in any circumstance. We just have to ask and listen. Let's tap into that knowledge and be kind, be generous. Let's feel good that we can choose words, thoughts and actions that bring about thoughtfulness, sweetness, humanity, altruism, graciousness, loving-kindness, and goodwill. Let's ask WWMHSD? Then let us listen and respond in harmony with the highest version of ourselves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzpAP-fZAOp7jlFkpaK_oXF5TQLs75Vh0vLN7Np4AdQaGwm9KjmnSWhg6EiP16r522dgtZoC8i5_s8HN4HLvnf_aCOZgr40d9m4kKQ-feQH_X7oDuldXBmlYN8dXqlPWR1JqIdqJlu-ZD/s1600/https---s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com-736x-f0-52-dd-f052ddfbe94e0467ebfac33e946263ef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="390" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEzpAP-fZAOp7jlFkpaK_oXF5TQLs75Vh0vLN7Np4AdQaGwm9KjmnSWhg6EiP16r522dgtZoC8i5_s8HN4HLvnf_aCOZgr40d9m4kKQ-feQH_X7oDuldXBmlYN8dXqlPWR1JqIdqJlu-ZD/s200/https---s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com-736x-f0-52-dd-f052ddfbe94e0467ebfac33e946263ef.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at pinterest.com</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-80599516090783926482018-12-07T09:59:00.000-04:002018-12-07T11:26:14.775-04:00AlarmedIt was 5:20 in the morning. I was sitting by my window, writing. The soft light of my table lamp cast a warm glow over my hands as I wrote. That's what I was appreciating in the foreground of my attention while, in the background, I was grateful for the peace and tranquility of the moment. In an instant, the harmony was interrupted by a car alarm. The sound rose up from the parking lot up to my window. I took a deep breath and ignored it. It went on for 15 minutes or so until it finally quit.<br />
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The alarm was supposed to alert someone to do something about the car. No one did. It, apparently, was not a real emergency. It was a malfunction. And though I was able to ignore it, I still felt the tension. In a similar way, we hear all sorts of alarms during the day. Some are burglary alarms from cars and buildings, some are clock alarms, and some are emergency vehicle alarms. There are other types of alarms we bear. Drama, conflict, histrionics keep us on alert in much of the same way. They create the same type of fear and reactions in our body as a fire or burglary alarm, yet, we're not in real danger. Some of the stories we tell ourselves create alarms too, warning us of dangers that we guard ourselves from. Then there are the rumors, scandals, gossip, malicious talk, speculation, and news that we participate in, creating animosity and fear, warning us of dangers that are not necessarily imminent or real. Add to all of these the many notifications we subscribe to on our social media apps. We stay alarmed, even if we are not reacting to do something about it. This state of alarm keeps us vulnerable, worried, stressed and anxious, harming our relationships and our health.<br />
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Today is a good day to mute our alarms. Let's be mindful of what we engage in. When we start entertaining thoughts that do not serve us, that fuel the fire of our fears, let's take a deep and slow breath, then another, then another. When panic sets in, let's acknowledge and name our fear. Recognizing what alarms us many times can help us diffuse state of emergency we create for ourselves. Let's turn our attention away from the alarms to what we can be grateful for, what adds joy to our life, what enriches our experience, what blesses others, and what brings us peace.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphEvlRVzpGbF_MKhHhZKukcX4fyDP7mY3fKl7W-1rpY4eiEufkcMHhQihLeRdhNgobxlP0P7LXh5ZtZu3vluSiE7VyN5bk6zuvfF0l2laMNNnyT2bWcbErrxmEB4dEufboNj7PaAasgtv/s1600/http---www.inspirememandalas.com-Joy%252520Cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="389" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphEvlRVzpGbF_MKhHhZKukcX4fyDP7mY3fKl7W-1rpY4eiEufkcMHhQihLeRdhNgobxlP0P7LXh5ZtZu3vluSiE7VyN5bk6zuvfF0l2laMNNnyT2bWcbErrxmEB4dEufboNj7PaAasgtv/s200/http---www.inspirememandalas.com-Joy%252520Cropped.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at inspirememandalas.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span><br />
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<br />soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-3324146553521250642018-11-30T13:36:00.000-04:002018-11-30T13:36:14.475-04:00The stuffThanksgiving this year was quiet, peaceful, and lovely. We lounged around the pool at my parents' house, told stories, caught up, listened to music, enjoyed family, and relaxed. We had turkey, rice, ham, potatoes, salad, and cake for dessert. No stuffing, though. Our Caribbean Thanksgiving turkey dinners don't necessarily include stuffing. Dinner, though, was absolutely perfect. The stuff it was full of made it complete, whole.<br />
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It is the stuff we are full of that comes through when we speak, when we are stressed, when we engage with others, when we relax, when we get angry, when we are joyful, when we are rushed, when we sleep, and when we wake. This is why dinner was so wonderful. Our family was full of love.<br />
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Today is a good day to be conscious of what we are full of. Is it fear, jealousy, insecurity, a sense of superiority, arrogance, distrust, doubt, worry, or anguish? If so, what comes through in what we say, do, think, and feel is impatience, haste, annoyance, suspicion, instability, apathy, hostility, faults, blame, and hatred. Or are we full of empathy, courage, equanimity, confidence, gratitude, tranquility, hope, faith, or love? In which case what comes through is appreciation, acceptance, consideration, kindness, calmness, affection, respect, politeness, and goodwill. Whatever it is that we are full of is the stuff of our thoughts, our feelings, and our words. It infuses our circumstances, our connection to others, our interactions, and our way of life. Let's be mindful of our stuff, of our what we fill ourselves with. Let's ask ourselves, <i>what am I full of today?</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlI3x7d7cv_VIXgFsph5LDhEG5AnslL0lsqvZKjmF4wG5q09JhXTWtqjo3NNcaqTLmLgcHgfi70i4rJVk9tv_YYmDJeui2CFQpAi2b9bR8w4Vr3CgZ-iB30bZwE0JKyHYCHm9V4_aK1BNb/s1600/3023820-SRIRPKBI-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="770" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlI3x7d7cv_VIXgFsph5LDhEG5AnslL0lsqvZKjmF4wG5q09JhXTWtqjo3NNcaqTLmLgcHgfi70i4rJVk9tv_YYmDJeui2CFQpAi2b9bR8w4Vr3CgZ-iB30bZwE0JKyHYCHm9V4_aK1BNb/s200/3023820-SRIRPKBI-7.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at saatchiart.com</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span></div>
soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-29081246685234390362018-11-16T10:26:00.000-04:002018-11-16T11:44:44.899-04:00Slowing down the mindTake a seat, if you can. Get comfortable. Close your eyes.<br />
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Form a mental picture of the word <i>slow</i> in your mind. See the word, feel the word. <i>Slow</i>.<br />
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Now form a mental picture of the word <i>down</i>. See it, feel it. <i>Down</i>.<br />
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Take a deep and slow breath in. Let it go.<br />
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Take another deep and slow breath in. Think <i>slow</i>.<br />
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Exhale softly. Think <i>down</i>.<br />
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Inhale slowly and deeply, thinking <i>slow</i>. Exhale deliberately, thinking <i>down</i>.<br />
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Inhale <i>slow</i>. Exhale <i>down</i>.<br />
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Inhale <i>slow</i>. Exhale <i>down</i>.<br />
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Inhale <i>slow</i>. Exhale <i>down</i>.<br />
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<i>Slow. Down.</i><br />
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<i>Slow. Down.</i><br />
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<i>Slow. Down.</i><br />
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Stay in this rhythm for a few more minutes. Keep your breath slow and purposeful that it may slow down your breathing, slow down your mind, and slow down your heart. Feel your body steady, ready for today. Carry this energy into everything you do today. May this meditation help you slow down to rev up centered, aligned, and harmonious.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8VKyA0E3-k5BRlHBmmKbKOLNpJa7eYeqlcBrNYfrZJklS3wNCXd3JOZpVaelsYvZ8WtSumFDltpq8OL26IrHZS7gcFhPEbek_LC273jesnatESQQDtS7xwEby9o-wk8LzUD1ZE5MHnsI/s1600/Mandala-image-for-Minettes-article.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8VKyA0E3-k5BRlHBmmKbKOLNpJa7eYeqlcBrNYfrZJklS3wNCXd3JOZpVaelsYvZ8WtSumFDltpq8OL26IrHZS7gcFhPEbek_LC273jesnatESQQDtS7xwEby9o-wk8LzUD1ZE5MHnsI/s200/Mandala-image-for-Minettes-article.jpg" width="187" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at aspiremag.net.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span><br />
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soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-41382229756415446442018-11-09T12:11:00.000-04:002018-11-09T12:11:03.255-04:00Moon RiverI was writing while listening to instrumental music when Moon River came on and it brought me back to a time when I felt safe and loved and had never known sadness, cruelty, evil or hardship. It brought me to a time when my parents, my younger sister and I would go away for weekends at the beach. My dad would drive at night on our way there and he and my mom would listen to a Johnny Mathis eight-track tape. I was a child. No care in the world. And here I am remembering that time with tears streaming down my face and my chest rising and falling with nostalgia.<br />
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What a pain of a feeling. My knee-jerk reaction is to change the music and think of something else. But we really don't overcome feelings by ignoring them. We have to feel and so here I am acknowledging my sadness for a time gone by. Nostalgia is an awful feeling. I'd rather let it go, but here I am, holding it, understanding it, breathing it. What is this feeling telling me? In time, I will know and then I'll release it. Until then, I'm feeling it.<br />
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The delicate thing about this is that while we mindfully hold our feelings, we shouldn't act on them. We let them teach us about ourselves, about our perceptions, about our relationship to our circumstances and to others, and about our states of mind, but we don't act based on those feelings. Acknowledging and allowing our feelings without reacting to them can help us grow and can strengthen us, and can help us change or release our feelings.<br />
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Today is a good day to mindfully feel what we feel, fully acknowledging whatever it is we are feeling. Fully feel and not form a thought about it. Name, but not label. Realize but not judge. Let it be, let it pass, with reverence for our experience. Let's learn from our sadness, anger, jealousy, boredom, fear, dissatisfaction, nervousness, joy, excitement, and hopefulness. Let us today let our feelings guide us into a wiser and stronger version of ourselves.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpMe4wrHQOVCJMRkQXOKiDrx54ziS62UAzyAYs_YD_0XkogsNqxRyQV_86WXJ5MN1cjkmu5Mr2WUza8IxRX-5iRMQA8CpvhGM9CKHe2esmhWctdhysLL2lE0H6HZjPfp7yKPZNikQwTMH/s1600/wpid-7_by_deviantvicky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="894" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMpMe4wrHQOVCJMRkQXOKiDrx54ziS62UAzyAYs_YD_0XkogsNqxRyQV_86WXJ5MN1cjkmu5Mr2WUza8IxRX-5iRMQA8CpvhGM9CKHe2esmhWctdhysLL2lE0H6HZjPfp7yKPZNikQwTMH/s200/wpid-7_by_deviantvicky.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at eyesofodysseus.wordpress.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span><br />
<br />soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5757335413719246527.post-83991715481442023262018-11-02T14:34:00.000-04:002018-11-02T14:34:32.029-04:00The basketWhen we exited the elevator early in the morning, we found a basket full of candy on the receiving table of the lobby. Candy? I completely forgot about Halloween this year. There were no trick-or-treaters in our apartment building. There were no funny disguises, fairy princesses, Marvel superheroes, or ghouls and goblins ringing our bell looking for candy and a reaction to their costumes. That Halloween basket put a smile on my face, even if I didn't get to enjoy Halloween.<br />
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The morning was a bit hectic. It carried things to do, world, local and personal news, and thoughts and feelings from the days before. The energy was charged and heavy. The day's outlook was gloomy, busy, and not pleasant...until I saw the basket.<br />
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In our days we can focus on what is wrong with our lives or we can allow something small mean something good. In the basket of our days we can carry all sorts of points of view as part of a mixed bag of life experiences. The basket can be full of grief and grievances, full of lovely memories and hope, or full of both. The thing is that, though we carry all of the basket, we only focus on part of what's in it.<br />
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That anonymous Halloween basket meant to me that there are people who are good neighbors, considerate, generous, who enjoy fun, who care about others. It meant that not all is bad. There is sweetness to be shared. Today is a good day to remember that we can sort through our basket and choose what to focus on. Depending on what we choose to focus on, the basket can be a heavy burden or comfort, relief, and a blessing. Let's pick out what can help lighten the basket for ourselves. Let's look in our basket and find what sweets can transform our experience, what mix can make us thankful, what lessons have made us stronger and wiser, what memories make us smile, what realizations help us feel fulfilled.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlHBhZF8lzYRDLRFy9CwiZVQDOHaiTmlcGDbkUKvHHMfegSEuBVOunsHsoa3c3g_TX6E3Ki3zzQbn2hdflBDFNd4dZ-37KInxtmO4H45yMLJXmiTC5PZBwFTuHIcdUNpYAOVXHYJOPifB/s1600/fall%252Bmandala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1177" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlHBhZF8lzYRDLRFy9CwiZVQDOHaiTmlcGDbkUKvHHMfegSEuBVOunsHsoa3c3g_TX6E3Ki3zzQbn2hdflBDFNd4dZ-37KInxtmO4H45yMLJXmiTC5PZBwFTuHIcdUNpYAOVXHYJOPifB/s320/fall%252Bmandala.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image found at theinvisiblecircle.bigcartel.com.</td></tr>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(102, 102, 102); color: #666666; font-size: x-small; text-align: center;">© Millicent Maldonado and www.soulcerer.com. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.</span>soul*ceryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17648852935686829038noreply@blogger.com0