The primary definition of jealousy is “an unhappy or angry feeling of wanting to have what someone else has.” This cannot be a good thing, right? As by definition, it means you are harboring three negative energy emotions in your vibration, often for an extended period. What good could come of something such as anger, unhappiness, and resentment?
Well, nothing and everything. There’s also a second definition of jealousy, which we’ll get to shortly.
Ever since I can remember I have been a contrarian. My grandmother used to call me, “Contrary Canary” and I assure you, I earned that title. In hindsight, while I struggled between being contrary for contrary’s sake and being agreeable for likeableness’ sake, one thing I have realized as I have gotten older is that they both are important but like all things, timing is everything when it comes to their application. Agreeableness, like similarity or commonality, is a binding from ourselves to another. Often, it is what we have in common that brings us together and helps us get along.
In Chinese Meridian Theory there are 5 Elements and each Element corresponds to a time of the year. Now, we are in the season of Earth, the late summer time of year. These are the last few hot days of summer, which will soon be turning into autumn. The Earth Element is about being grounded.
Most people have a big, scary secret, and dear reader, I am no different. Although I am strong, and fit, and run marathons, for more than 12 years I struggled with an ugly, dark eating disorder. Coming to terms with anorexia was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but you don’t need to be diagnosed with a full-blown eating disorder to have negative self-image. Body issues are incredibly and painfully prevalent in today’s society. The good news is there are lots of ways to show your body some self-love, and many more reasons why you should start today.
If someone did you good, show your gratitude by paying it forward…
The Autumn Equinox is one of my favorite seasonal transitions to experience. Don’t get me wrong – I love all of the seasons and I appreciate the changes, but Autumn is just the bee’s knees.
No one likes being criticized, and some of us definitely handle it better than others. I, unfortunately, tend to be on the more defensive side of the criticism spectrum. For too long, I’ve been overly worried about what people think of me and take any feedback they give me to an unhealthy, self-loathing personal level. So, it’s no surprise that I’m quick to combat criticism with every line of defense I have, instead of stepping back and receiving it for what it really is: a mere suggestion at how I can improve myself.
On a train ride from Bombay, India, to Goa, I sat in a car with a man in Bermuda shorts and white wild hair talking endlessly for the entire 12-hour journey of his experiences all across India: as a monk, in the Tantric temples, as a martial artist learning from the best. I had no idea I was cosmically being set up with him as my teacher for the next several months. He was a Tai Chi master and I was one of the lucky students to meet Sahm.
I never thought I would say this, but when I was a kid, summers were spent playing outdoors. There were no smartphones, iPads, laptops, or any other fancy technology to distract us. And vacations? Well, we spent those camping.
Nature is good for me because it shows me a different, more expansive side of life that people too often do not expose themselves to in the cubicles of their minds' eye, from the limited contours of the concrete jungle.