courage

Satya is the second Yama or moral constraint of Patanjali’s Eight Limbed Path of Yoga. In its essence, Satya is our inner truth compass. The Sanskrit derivative “sat” translates to “true nature.” It is the principle that holds a mirror to one’s face and asks for a raw and honest look at one’s thoughts, words, and actions. Satya asks the question, “Are you living in alignment with your truth?”

At the return of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, Aries sits at the beginning of the zodiac, representative of the start of something new. The stones that support the energy of this sign assist in the task, as Bloodstone instills courage and Diamond not only brings clarity, but inspires ingenuity. These two crystals together bless the Aries-natured person, or one who is wishing to align with her fiery nature, to be bold and brave in the face of challenges.

I’ve been thinking a lot about strength and power and what it means to have those. I spend most of my time feeling powerless, as in my ability to act feels diminished. Particularly when I contemplate the broader society. This is where I could write about how there’s strength in numbers and all of us working together have greater power than when we’re alone, but you’ve already heard all that. Instead, what interests me more is thinking about the types of strength and power we possess.

Sometimes the most courageous act can be to drop the mind and just be.

When our minds are losing ground in a whirlwind of potential mumbo jumbos and we don't know which way to get pulled away in, there is this sense of being in mid-air. Untethered to our bodies, there is this anxious feeling that we must pick a direction to trail after or we will be left behind by whatever stresses need to be chased somewhere.

I was pregnant with my first baby and the “father” was non-existent. Instead, I had met an amazing man who I had warily started dating. I had no idea what to expect while my body morphed and transformed in order to bring forth the life growing inside of me. This man's mother, who would later become my first child's grandmother, gave me a rose quartz in the shape of a heart at my blessingway, just a few weeks before his arrival. My heart, which was trepidatious and afraid to let anyone in, suddenly began opening to the possibility of love with the aid of rose quartz.

They may be movies for kids, but animated movies can be a powerful teacher if you watch them with an open mind and heart…

Do it now! Go against the grain, take an adventure, thwart off the oh-so-average, menial life you have been living. I once read a story about a rocking chair -- yes, a rocking chair. It started out by painting a picture. An image of a grandparent seated in an old, wooden rocking chair on an outdoor patio overlooking a great expanse of open land. Sun shining, starry-eyed grandchildren gathered around waiting for yet another wild venture saga.

Fear is the enemy of peace. You cannot be in a state of fear and peace at the same time; one has to make room for the other.

In our modern world, stress and fear seem to be the ruler of the day. We fear our financial security. We fear for the safety of our children as they leave for school every morning. We are afraid of violence, being alone, never having enough.

There are also the deeper fears within us. The fear of others, the fear of being defined by others, fearing connections or lack thereof and fearing life’s challenges.