Don't Take Anything Personally
This is one of Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements from his book of the same name, and I find it to be extremely useful for more and more reasons as I apply it in my life.
Lately, I've been focussing on this practice while listening to people talk about other people. I'm most interested in the judgments others have about their friends, family or co-workers, because it stimulates my ego to take sides. I hear that so and so is irresponsible, and it brings up for me how undesireable being irresponsible is. This is me taking what someone else says about someone else personally. I apply that judgment to the way I see myself through the lens of my value system.
By not taking personally this judgment of irresponsibility, it frees me up to realize that without irresponsibility, how could I learn about responsibility? Further, when someone judges another they are "rating" them on a good-to-bad scale compared to their value system--which is, actually, completely arbitrary. Our value systems are our comfort zones. They are decisions we've made about how we are going to be and act in the world based on painful or pleasureable experiences. Since everyone has completely different experiences, it is impossible to accurately judge whether or not they actually are some way. So, because of this, we simply judge another against our own value system.
In applying this practice of not taking things personally, it is more a practice of detachment, because the ego will automatically jump in to react to any sort of judgment or any violation or validation of its value system. The trick is to embrace that reaction and fully accept that it exists, as opposed to resisting it or going further down the rabbit hole by getting defensive and justifying why "you" responded that way. It wasn't you, it was your ego. Which is good, because without the ego, how would we learn anything about ourselves?
Vibrant Living Tip: Use Deep Insight to help reveal subconscious decisions and values. Use Beryl Gem Elixir to aid in forgiveness and clarity.
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Moon Void of Course
In traditional astrology it is said that when the moon is not in any aspect to any planet or the sun, it is "void of course." In other words, as the moon wheels around the earth, it creates major angles (45°, 90°, 27.5°, 180°, etc.) with other planets and the sun from our perspective on the earth's surface. These angles are called "aspects" in astrology, and have significant meanings. However, when there are no aspects, the moon is void of any angles along its course--hence, "void of course."
The moon, being extremely magnetic and gravitational, has a tangible affect on human bodies, just as it has a tremendous influence on the oceans, so during void of course transits by the moon, humans react to that in subtle (or not) ways, exhibiting common characteristics.
One of the most common reactions to a moon void of course is mental spaciness, or a wandering, unfocussed mind. Things seem to float around randomly without much upset or consequence. This leads astrologers to recommend that during Void of Course periods, avoid making life-changing decisions, or significant purchases (such as a house, car, or real estate); or sign binding contracts, or commit to responsibilities. This is mainly because we are mentally and emotionally ungrounded and "detached" from the present moment.
On the other hand, void of course periods are good for self-reflection, taking long walks, relaxing with friends, or just "taking time off" from daily responsibilities. Routines will tend to be interrupted or just not followed, and conversations will meander and be inconsequential.
You can find Moon Void of Course tables by doing a Google search. Here's the one I use. It's very handy for planning the week ahead, especially if there are big decisions to be made coming up.
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Feeling the Love
I always think of John Lennon's famous song, "Love is All You Need," when I engage in this practice. It's a deep statement, despite being trivialized as a pop song.
I believe that love fulfills all needs one way or another. Love finds the starving child and feeds her. Love finds the depression of the financially distraut and gives them hope. Love finds the broken-hearted and reveals the love of self. There is truly nothing love cannot change or heal.
The thing about us humans is that we have that choice thing. We can choose to be loving and happy, or choose to be hateful and sad, about any circumstance. Sure, some circumstances are more or less life-threatening than others, yet we still can choose to love even in the worst of circumstances, and in doing so, turn those circumstances around. Can we expect to do that by NOT being loving?
The truth is, the universe loves love. Love amplifies itself--the more you feel it, the more there is. Hence, my little practice I call "Feeling the Love." Here's what I do:
- After my yoga asanas I chant to myself, "I love you" a few times.
- While I'm walking I look up at the wispy clouds, feel the breeze and the sun on my face, and give thanks in love for the moment.
- Something unexpected or negative happens, and I love that I was there to experience and learn from it.
- I think of all my friends and family and how much I love them.
- I just sit in silence and feel love for being alive and being who I am.
- I catch myself being critical of myself or another, and love that I have a choice to be otherwise.
Well, as you can see, it's a simple practice that can be applied anytime, anywhere. But most importantly, the more you do it, the more opportunities come along to remind you how much you are in love with life.
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