Friday, April 22, 2011

Weekly Housewives Report 4/18 - 4/22

Weekly Houswives' Report 4/18/2011 - 4/22/2011

The week began and I drew this card for myself from The Housewives Tarot - The Fool.  I could certainly relate to this harried housewife, running around in somewhat of a frenzy, excited about the prospects of her week but just not quite in control.  Like the housewife on this card, the multitude of tasks and responsibilities of the week were just an unorganized mess of plans and emotions.  Once I saw this card I knew I needed to just slow down, simplify, and FOCUS.  Not always an easy thing for me to do!

With the FlyLady.net program this week we were focusing on the Master Bedroom.  I figured that focusing some of my energy on renewing my personal space would be a perfect way for me to slow down, simplify, and prioritize.  When my Bedroom is clean and inviting I tend to spend more time taking care of myself.  I sleep better, I meditate more, and I just feel better!

 So... this area needed some work.  This was my bookshelf next to the bed.  Most of my books were either in the closet or in the computer room because there just wasn't enough room for them here.  I had gotten a new book shelf a couple weeks ago, but hadn't brought it in here yet.  I hadn't really decided if it was going to go in my Master Bedroom or in another room.  But I decided my books and tarot cards needed a better home than their present location, sooo....
 Ta-Da!  Transformation!  ALL my "woo~woo" books in one place!  Now I actually WANT to stay in my room... I mean with all my books straightened and easy to find, I've got my own personal witchy library here and I love it!
 My Tarot and Oracle Card collection... now in it's worthy home that deserves some showing off!
And my Tarot Library!   Still growing... but it just makes me so happy to see all my tarot books in one place, happily on a shelf together with my tarot journals!

The lower shelves contain my spiritual books with topics ranging from Astrology, Meditation, Yoga, Wicca, Witchcraft, and other Pagan Paths.

Tuesday night I had my Yoga Class and our meditation on Awakening your Inner Child.  I was inspired to write a couple blogs about that experience...
Awakening Your Inner Child
Peace of Mind
Thirteen Ways to Awaken Your Inner Child
I was also reminded that as a child, our personal space in the world is our bedroom, it is our sanctuary, our kingdom where our imagination can roam and our play and fantasies really come to life.  This inspired me to keep working on my bedroom, even when it began to look like this.... 


But 30 minutes or so took care of THAT problem....

Ahhh!  Feels so much better now, doesn't it?!?!

I ended the week by getting rid of some clothes from the closets and dressers and immediately taking those clothes to my local Goodwill thrift store.  I got myself 1 new pair of jeans for work, and found a new lampshade to go with the lamp I got at a yardsale... so now my Master Bedroom is not only clean and organized, but well- lit also!  The sheets and comforter have been washed today also, so I'm about to crawl into bed and enjoy the scent of lavender on my sheets as I drift of to sleep in my energetically cleansed sanctuary!

All in all, I think this Fool managed to pull herself together and accomplish exactly what needed to be done!  Now I'm ready for the next stage of my journey, whatever that may be!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Thursday Thirteen - 13 Ways to Nurture your Inner Child

In keeping with the theme of my previous two blog posts, I thought it would be fun to list 13 ways to Awaken and Nurture your Inner Child!



1. Eat healthy foods.  Think to yourself, would I let a child eat this way?  Chances are, you wouldn't let a child drink that soda or eat that junk food... so why do you let yourself eat that way?

2.  Get enough sleep.  Don't stay up too late!  Again... think of how you would care for a child.  Would you let them stay up this late and then still expect them to go through the next day without being grumpy and sleepy?  Why do we have different expectations for ourselves?

3.  Color!  That's right... get some crayons, markers, or colored pencils and some paper and let yourself draw and color!  This can be very theraputic!  Don't judge your artwork for perfection... once again... would you tell a child that their drawing is not good enough?  No, you would praise them and tell them how beautiful it is!

4. Read a book.  Read something light hearted and fun!  As a child we love a good story, and a good book has the power to transport us to another land or another time.  If you have a favorite book from your childhood, consider re-reading it.  Or, try reading something new!  Your inner child will love a new adventure, fantasy, or mystery novel!

5. Listen to some favorite music from your childhood.  What music reminds you of your childhood?  Music has a powerful ability to awaken the Inner Child by returning us to a time when we felt happy and peaceful.  Find some of that music that takes you back to a happy time in your childhood and listen to it!

6. Watch a movie you enjoyed when you were a child.  We all had a favorite movie, cartoon, or sitcom we loved to watch as a child.  Take some time to find and watch something that makes you smile and laugh... even something that makes you cry!

7. Play outside!  Don't make excuses about the weather... if it's too cold or there is still snow on the gound, bundle up, make a snow man, splash in some rain puddles!  If it's warm, take some time to play in the dirt, get your hands dirty digging for worms, making mudpies, and working in your garden or planting a tree or flowers!  If it's hot outside, put on some sunblock and go swimming or play in the sprinklers!

8. Go to a zoo or museum.  Look at some animals or learn something new!  To a child everything is new and amazing!  Find the joy in learning again!

9. Dance and Sing!  Turn up the music and let yourself dance and sing along!  You can even do this while you're doing housework!  Let yourself bounce and waggle however you want... a child doesn't care if anyone is watching.... so just dance like no one's watching and let yourself laugh and sing!

10. Play Dress-Up.  Every child likes to play dress up!  Find something in your closet you haven't worn for awhile... even that fancy dress or your nice Sunday Suit... put it on and just let yourself feel "Dressed Up" for awhile!  Ladies, Do your hair, paint your nails, do your make up... but do it a little differently than you would normally do it.... let yourself experiment and play the way a little girl plays with her mom's make up!

11.  Look for Fairies.  Find magic in every moment!  You can do this however you choose... it can be as simple as just taking time to notice the magic of a blooming flower or a magical moment in nature, or building a "Fairy House" to welcome the fairies into your home, garden, or yard.

12.  Treat others with kindness and compassion.  Children love pleasing others.  What can you do to bring a smile to someone's face, or warm someone's heart?  Chances are you have multiple opportunities in a day to show random acts of kindness and compassion to people... seize the moment!

13.  Love yourself the way your Gaurdian Angel loves you!  I got this idea from Delia at Open Your Heart Project.  This blog post outlines a simple meditation and awareness activity that will help you to love yourself the way your Gaurdian Angel loves you! - Love Yourself The Way Your Gaurdian Angel Loves You!




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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Peace Of Mind

Yesterday at my Yoga class we did a meditation on Awakening the Inner Child.  (For more info on Awakening your Inner Child, see my previous blog post)  After our meditation I did a reading for the group with the Healing With The Fairies Oracle cards by Doreen Virtue.  After a short meditation to contact the fairies, I asked them what advice they had for us and our Inner Children, and this is the card we received...

Peace of Mind
the guidebook written by Doreen Virtue has this to say about this card;

"Make peacefulness your highest priority.  Commit to taking steps to ensure peace of mind, and take those steps without delay.

    Peace of mind isn't something you have to earn or acquire, since your true self is already peaceful.  Instead, it requires being like a sculptor with a block of marble, who works with this material until the masterpiece is revealed.  If you'll make peace of mind your main focus, you'll inevitably feel a great sense of relief.
    Steps that create peace of mind include being honest with yourself, living according to your inner guidance, being helpful and kind to others, practicing meditation and yoga, eating only healthful foods, avoiding toxins, maintaining healthy sleep habits, avoiding negative people and media, surrendering your problems to God, communing with nature, simplifying your life, and saying no when you need to.

Affirmation: My mind is now peaceful, and I know that all my needs are automatically taken care of.  I can rest easily, assured that all is well."

We talked about how this lesson might apply to the Awakening of our Inner Child.  A child who is nurtured and loved naturally has Peace of Mind.  When they are raised in a nurturing and happy environment, they are not stressed and naturally will connect with The Divine and see the beauty in everything around them.  If we apply this same concept to our Inner Child... and take the time to praise, nurture, love, and uplift our own pure inner spirit, this Peace of Mind will come to us naturally.  When we treat ourselves with the love that we would treat a child, our spirit becomes open to the wonders of the universe and we truly can have the Peace of Mind that  a child has.  Try to see the world through the eyes of a child, and then treat yourself the way a child deserves to be treated; eat healthy foods, get plenty of sleep, spend time in nature, and treat others with kindness and compassion... make peacefulness your priority and watch as peace makes it's way into your heart and mind!

Awakening Your Inner Child

  • At my yoga class last night we did a meditation on contacting and nurturing our inner child. With the music playing we all sat in a meditation position and found our inner child so we could send them love and compassion and get to know them. It's not the first time I've done an Inner Child meditation... but I haven't done this often enough!

  • My inner child - a curious and playful little blonde girl was so happy to have me come visit.. she just couldn't sit still! I ended up laying on my belly, with my knees bent so my feet were up in the air, waggling back and forth; my elbows bent and my head propped up on my hands... the way I used to lay on the floor to watch a movie. (like in the picture above) Once I was laying in this position and letting my inner child get the movement she wanted to have, I just stayed there with her, talking to her... telling her all the things a child needs to hear.
.
I love you.
You're Beautiful.
You're so smart.

This is fun, what should we do next?
My inner child wants to watch The Sound of Music. My inner child wants to dance. My inner child wants to color and draw. My inner child wants to read a book, go out in nature, look at horses, ride a swing....
  • Really, I can do any of these things... I think this meditation showed me how easy it would be to nurture my Inner Child by doing these things; and how peaceful and joyful I can feel after just spending a few minutes with my inner child. In the class we talked about how children need nurturing and love or they become angry, depressed, and act out. It is the same with our Inner Child, which is the root of our innocent nature... a part of us that is truly connected to the Divine. Spending time with our Inner Child and sending her/him loving and nurturing feelings will help awaken our natural connection to The Divine. A child that is well nurtured and loved is trusting, loving, has peace of mind, and can naturally see the Fairies and Angels or feel their presence. You can stop by "Open Your Heart Project" to read more about awakening your Inner Child and opening your Heart (my Yoga instructor's blog!)http://openyourheartproject.blogspot.com/
I remember a couple years ago I read about making an altar to honor your Inner Child. Just set up a small table or area with things that you liked as a child, things that make your Inner Child happy. This area is meant to show Honor, Respect, and Love to your Inner Child, as well as remind you to take time with her/him each day. So today I set up this little altar....
I have a Tinkerbell painting I've been working on with my daughter, a couple little unicorn figurines, some crayons and crystals, and my favorite childhood book, "Wait Till Helen Comes" by Mary Downing Hahn. I haven't read that book since I was 12 or 13, but I think it's time to read it again. I will also be trying to find more time to color, paint, play outside, and yes, I might even watch The Sound of Music!
Last night after our meditation I drew a card from the Healing With The Fairies Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue. We asked the Fairies to bring us a message... and that message seemed to go perfectly with our journey to Awaken our Inner Child.... I will tell more about that in the next blog post!