Feng Shui Your Mind for 2016

A Boy and an Elephant - by photographer/filmmaker Gregory Colber

Hi Everyone,

Happy Holiday Season. There are so many ways to spend this time of year and most include a sense of celebration, reminders of joy and appreciation, family, clan, food and friends.

In this spirit, I wanted to share with you some ideas on how to release 2015 with gratitude and prepare for a fabulous New Year 2016.

As with all Magic, it begins in the mind . . .

Artist – Jeannette Woitzik

I love that we are drawn to the supernatural genre, immersed in magic, wonder and the 'impossible'. I think that puts speculative fiction readers ahead of the game when it comes to creating personal rituals to change our lives.

We've already been there in the pages. It's not a huge leap to go there, in our minds, in our everyday reality.

Here are five great tips to de-cluttering our mental feng shui, opening doors of infinite possibilities when it comes to love, relationships, finances, work, career, creativity, artistry, home, family, prosperity.

Let's all start 2016 with clear minds and open hearts.

1) The Only Love Spell That Works

Most of our relationship, or lack of relationship, issues rise from an absence of self-love. As Jeannette Maw says, “The universe can only be as good to you as you are to yourself,” and face it, we aren’t always that self supportive.

Think about your self talk when you look in the mirror. Are you your own best cheering squad, or do you list the faults and things that need to be ‘fixed’? What about at work? In your creativity? Your daily routine? When you lay awake at night, are you thinking of the things that went right or ‘wrong’? Most of us are in the habit of self judgment, criticism and denigration. Just imagine what signal that sends to the universe? It’s a spell that conjures more of what we don’t want.

But there is a way to turn it around, a love spell that changes everything, from the inside out. There are a lot of them out there, spells that boost self-love, but here are two I found life changing:
Mirror Mirror on the Wall:

2) 1% Improvements

No British cyclist had ever won the Tour de France, but as the new General Manager and Performance Director for Team Sky (Great Britain’s professional cycling team), Dave Brailsford was asked to change that.

His approach was simple.

Brailsford believed in a concept that he referred to as the “aggregation of marginal gains.” He explained it as “the 1 percent margin for improvement in everything you do.” His belief was that if you improved every area related to cycling by just 1 percent, then those small gains would add up to remarkable improvement. AND IT DID! Read how to alter your daily life by 1% and watch things expand towards success!

3) Core Value check in

How can knowing your core values make your life better? It can't, but knowing AND honoring them can!

A core value is simply what matters most to you in life; it’s what makes you who you are. As in, without it, you just wouldn’t be you. For some that might be humor or generosity. Learning or spirituality. Creativity or connection. The list goes on.

So how does one live their values?

It starts with identifying them. There are a couple ways to do that. Read more here.

4) Toleration Let Go

Many know the importance of managing their feelings and focusing on the positive.  But sometimes we mange so well, we put up with things that actually are energy drainers. One of the most powerful ways to clear this error is to identify and eliminate the daily tolerations of life.

Some examples could include the car tags are expired, the desk plant is withering, the family dog is overdue for a dental, your shoes don’t fit right, neighbor noise keeps you up at night, your mother-in-law drives you nuts, you work too much overtime, you don’t eat a decent lunch, a bulb is burned out in the ceiling light, your credit card is maxed out, etc.

Your job is to identify and eliminate the things that are draining your joy from life.  Here’s how to get started:

5) Astrology and Relief

How do we know if there is too much stress in our lives? Check in with emotional guidance! Feel good = stress-free. Feel bad = stressful.  The idea is to bring awareness to the situation so we can let go of what’s not supporting us. Indicators of stress include:

• Fatigue, yawning, dozing, spacing out, depression

• Aches and pains and symptoms in the body

• Nervous tension, anxiety or apprehension

• Insomnia and sleep disturbances

• Lack of enthusiasm for life

The signs of the zodiac can alert us to authentic needs and modes of stress reduction. We each have all twelve signs in our charts, although some will be emphasized more than others. Looking at the natal signs of the Sun, Moon, Ascendant and Ascendant ruler(s) offers a good starting point. Go here to get started!

That's it, everyone. Five quick steps to Feng Shui the mind.

Let me know how you go, or if you have any favourites to add in the comments.

Happy Holiday, and Happy New Year wonderful readers and writers.

xxxKimmy

Kim Falconer is a Supernatural Underground author writing paranormal romance, urban fantasy, YA and epic science fantasy novels.

You can find out more about Kim at the 11th House Blog, and on FaceBook and Twitter.

She posts here at the Supernatural Underground on the 16th of every month and runs Save the Day Writer's Community on Facebook.

Experience Everything; Exclude Nothing

'Boundlessness in Bloom' by Duh Huynh

The full moon @25 Libra yesterday was a total eclipse -  meaning the next week is the perfect time to let go of 'tolerations' and get a move on with your life.

Symbolically, it's a time of culmination and release. Expect some emotional cleansing, the 'good for the soul' kind. You might also find something you've been waiting for arrives - the news, the green light, the big opportunity, and if not, you understand where, how, when and why it's time to regroup. Either way, it feel like progress is possible, and it is!

The focus might well be on relationship. You could see the light in terms of how to live your connections in a more fulfilling-to-you way Hint: if you want to improve your relationships 'out there' in the world, improve your relationship to yourself. It all begins with you.  

How can you best align with the energy of the eclipse?

First, release those 'tolerations'. Here's how Jeannette Maw describes them:

To tolerate something means to “allow the existence of, to permit or endure or put up with something.” This implies that the something (or someone) is less than ideal and tends to drain a person’s energy. Thus, a toleration is often a hindering influence to the vibration. More . . .

To recognize those toerlations, we need to feel everything; exclude nothing. Roll up your sleeves, and do the inner work. Whatever has kept you from your own growth and happiness is released, with conscious awareness and intention. If ever there was a Rainer Maria Rilke Eclipse, this is it:

It is not inertia alone that is responsible for human relationships repeating themselves from case to case, indescribably monotonous and unrenewed: it is shyness before any sort of new, unforeseeable experience with which one does not think oneself able to cope. But only someone who is ready for everything, who excludes nothing, not even the most enigmatic, will live the relation to another as something alive.

Use this opportunity to tune in and see where you can open this door to a shared experiences, and also clean any closets or clutter found blocking the way.

NOTE: The energy of the eclipse can be felt 30 days before, the time of, or 30 days after (give or take 3 days in each case). That means circle your calendar for (March 15), April 15 and May 15 +- 3 days. Also, for those of us mature enough to recall, note what was happening April 15th 1995, the last time we had a Lunar Eclipse at 25 Libra. What was the energy like then? How did you align to it? Ideas?

ARIES: The eclipse highlights a contrast between career/creative goals and your love life giving you a chance to see things from a different perspective. Take time to consider all sides then make a choice that feels like the most challenging. After all, you are meant to have adventures!

TAURUS: There is an indulgent feeling in the air, a sweet song that lures you away from practical goals like sensible eating and a good night's sleep. The eclipse in Libra will enchant you and then suddenly snap you back to 'reality.' Fortunately, a path once traveled is easily found again. Learn to walk both.
GEMINI: The Muse is awakened, called by the full moon eclipse in your house of creative self-expression. This is where you follow your heart's desire be it a lover, work of art, manuscript or film. You're officially clocked off! If it doesn't start with 'free spirited', it's not on the docket. Reconnect with your rapture.
CANCER: The Lunar Eclipse in your home sector brings the urge to retreat, but not alone. You want those close to you gathered around. Easy done. Host a family dinner, have friends over for a film night, dance or ritual, organize a working bee. Take the initiative and bring loved ones together for a purpose.
LEO: After weeks of crazy communications, this full moon is a time to clear up any lingering misunderstandings. Start first with yourself. What wires are crossed? What inner messages have you missed? Once sorted you go on to straighten out any kinks with friends and family. A simple, let's start again will do.
VIRGO: Mars is still retrograde in your house of $$$ and talents, and after ruling Mercury Rx for weeks before that, you might feel like your spinning your wheels. Not so! To get your life on track, think of three things you want to do this year, set clear intentions to do them and roll up your sleeves. By mid May, the plan unfolds.
LIBRA: This is your yearly full moon (eclipse), one that has you feeling intense, focused and a little overworked. Set the tempo for the rest of the year now by creating perfect balance between home/family, career/creativity, lovers and others and your own 'me' time. Think equal portions, clear intentions, easy done.
SCORPIO: This eclipse is tagging 12th house of the unseen real, bringing up content from the unconscious like a dog digs up an old bone. It might help to remember that for the dog, that buried thing is a treasure! The key to sailing through this lunation is to relax, let go and allow. Notice your dreams. Glean the message and move on.
SAGITTARIUS: The key words for the centaur are socialize, tantalize, realize. This is not a go it alone time. As you mix with like-minded others, the eclipse shines on your goals and wishes for the future. Are they current? On track? Still relevant? Take time to sort through, eliminating anything past its use-by-date.
CAPRICORN: The eclipse lights up your house of public relationship, reputation and career. There could be some limelight, or at least an interview or two. The key is to 'create no response', that is, pay no attention to any gossip or whispers. Your authenticity stands. Just acknowledge credit where credit is due.
AQUARIUS: This is an explorer's eclipse for all Water-bearers, one that has you looking to distant horizons, speaking of sweeping events and notions and finding new paths to enlightenment. Under the cool rays of the moon you will see things from a fresh perspective. Think awareness, contemplations, assimilation.
PISCES: The eclipse in your regeneration sector has you thinking intense thoughts and prepping to make life changing decisions. There is no rush. Actually, it serves you better to pace yourself this month, launching new plans after Mars goes direct on the 19th of May. Now is for composure and intimate connections. And inner peace.

Post in the comments where this eclipse is lighting up your chart. We'll compare notes! Happy fill Moon Everyone.



 Kim Falconer is a Supernatural Underground author writing paranormal romance, urban fantasy, YA and epic science fantasy novels.

You can find out more about Kim at kimfalconer.com or on the 11th House Blog, and on FaceBook and Twitter. She posts here at the Supernatural Underground on the 16th of every month. Her latest release is"Blood and Water" in Supernatural Underground: Vampires Gone Wild.