Simplicity<\/p>\n
Love<\/p>\n
Order<\/p>\n
Faith<\/p>\n
Joy<\/p>\n
Respect<\/p>\n
Beauty<\/p>\n
Gratitude<\/p>\n
Self Dicipline and Self Reliance<\/p>\n
Peace<\/p>\n
Charity<\/p>\n
Courage<\/p>\n
These virtues are going to be our inspiration this calendar year of 2012. I feel that many of these virtues are no longer a part of our society.\u00a0 Each and everyone of them is not only a gift to ourselves, but to our family and the greater world as well. It seems at first glance to be an easy thing to do and we automatically assume there is nothing for us to learn. But it is much more than a list of words that make us feel good about ourselves. Incorporating these ideas into our daily round as we interact with those who do not share our beliefs is the test. Can we hold these virtues while stuck on the tarmak for four hours in a plane that has an infant screaming? Or yet another long line at a store when we really need to be somewhere else? How about sharing living space with someone who feels our beliefs are wrong. The challenge is to put hands and feet to our spiritual beliefs.\u00a0 The challenge is to live authentically.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s begin January with Simplicity.<\/p>\n
In a complex world the thought of simplicity seems old fashioned and idealistic. Yet, most of us yearn for simpler times. The past takes on a rosy glow as we think back on days with less stress and obligations. Simplicity and the good ole\u2019 days. Yep, that\u2019s what we picture.<\/p>\n
How do we bring simplicity into our busy days without giving up too much? What does the Shaker hymn, \u201cTis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free\u201d mean? Can I still have my iphone and a thousand apps while embracing simplicity? The answer to these questions lies within us.<\/p>\n
Simplicity in it\u2019s purest form for me is a deep breath of January\u2019s cold night air. A single candle bringing light to a darkend room during meditation. A sip of cool water to cleanse myself before a ritual. The glistening of an amethist crystal in the candlelight.\u00a0 Thus, simiplicity becomes serenity.<\/p>\n
To simplify our desk, diet, and domecile is a start. Feng shui can guide us in right placement of our things and thus open more energy and serenity. So can common sense.<\/p>\n
Our work enviroment may not be easy to tackle if there are requirements from others. Our desks reflect back to us our inner state of being. Calm or distracted? Don\u2019t overlook the desktop of your computer. Even with work we are not thrilled to have, we can still find ways to simplify our way of handleing tasks and our attitude towards those tasks. After all, intention is powerful.<\/p>\n
Our diet at this time of year is ready for simple fare. Hearty soup, good bread and a warm beverage restores our body and spirit. Keeping body and soul well fed as the cold and dark of winter envelops us is powerful magic. A crock pot is my favorite new fangled cauldron. A magic pot that cooks by itself all day.\u00a0 What a gift to enter the house after a long day and smell dinner ready!<\/p>\n
The domecile part of this discussion can seem overwhelming. It does at our house right now. Downsizing is not an option in the current housing market and our plans to do so by now are on hold. And as in all things, the universe hates a vacumme so any and all space is full of stuff. With the recent passing of my mother our house accuired it\u2019s share of extra furnature. Our daughter\u2019s graduation from college meant storage of her things until she get\u2019s settled. And let\u2019s not overlook my difficulty in letting go of things I \u201cmight\u201d need later on! That is truly \u201clack\u201d mentality at it\u2019s best. Baby steps are all that\u2019s required. Organize the spice cabinet or linen closet. Clear off horizontal surfaces in the living areas. Breathe.<\/p>\n
Simplify rituals and spells for the month of January. Bring the focus of intent to the forefront of magical work. I can get caught up in the intricacy of rituals. I love bringing together many different images and symbols of what I need. Yet, the simple ritual I started this article with is just as powerful, if not more so, for me during winter. A rock, a flame, a breath and water. A reminder that, for me, I dwell within the Goddess and the Goddess dwells within me. Graceful.\u00a0\u00a0 Powerful. Simple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Simplicity Love Order Faith Joy Respect Beauty Gratitude Self Dicipline and Self Reliance Peace Charity Courage These virtues are going to be our inspiration this calendar year of 2012. I feel that many of these virtues are no longer a part of our society.\u00a0 Each and everyone of them is not only a gift to ourselves, but to our family and the greater world as well. It seems at first glance to be an easy thing to do and we automatically assume there is nothing for us to learn. But it is much more than a list of words that make us feel good about ourselves. Incorporating these ideas into our daily round as we interact with those who do not share our beliefs is the test. Can we hold these virtues while stuck on the tarmak for four hours in a plane that has an infant screaming? Or yet another long line at a store when we really need to be somewhere else? How about sharing living space with someone who feels our beliefs are wrong. The challenge is to put hands and feet to our spiritual beliefs.\u00a0 The challenge is to live authentically. Let\u2019s begin January with Simplicity. In a complex world the thought of simplicity seems old fashioned and idealistic. Yet, most of us yearn for simpler times. The past takes on a rosy glow as we think back on days with less stress and obligations. Simplicity and the good ole\u2019 days. Yep, that\u2019s what we picture. How do we bring simplicity into our busy days without giving up too much? What does the Shaker hymn, \u201cTis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free\u201d mean? Can I still have my iphone and a thousand apps while embracing simplicity? The answer to these questions lies within us. Simplicity in it\u2019s purest form for me is a deep breath of January\u2019s cold night air. A single candle bringing light to a darkend room during meditation. A sip of cool water to cleanse myself before a ritual. The glistening of an amethist crystal in the candlelight.\u00a0 Thus, simiplicity becomes serenity. To simplify our desk, diet, and domecile is a start. Feng shui can guide us in right placement of our things and thus open more energy and serenity. So can common sense. Our work enviroment may not be easy to tackle if there are requirements from others. Our desks reflect back to us our inner state of being. Calm or distracted? Don\u2019t overlook the desktop of your computer. Even with work we are not thrilled to have, we can still find ways to simplify our way of handleing tasks and our attitude towards those tasks. After all, intention is powerful. Our diet at this time of year is ready for simple fare. Hearty soup, good bread and a warm beverage restores our body and spirit. Keeping body and soul well fed as the cold and dark of winter envelops us is powerful magic. A crock pot is my favorite new fangled cauldron. A magic pot that cooks by itself all day.\u00a0 What a gift to enter the house after a long day and smell dinner ready! The domecile part of this discussion can seem overwhelming. It does at our house right now. Downsizing is not an option in the current housing market and our plans to do so by now are on hold. And as in all things, the universe hates a vacumme so any and all space is full of stuff. With the recent passing of my mother our house accuired it\u2019s share of extra furnature. Our daughter\u2019s graduation from college meant storage of her things until she get\u2019s settled. And let\u2019s not overlook my difficulty in letting go of things I \u201cmight\u201d need later on! That is truly \u201clack\u201d mentality at it\u2019s best. Baby steps are all that\u2019s required. Organize the spice cabinet or linen closet. Clear off horizontal surfaces in the living areas. Breathe. Simplify rituals and spells for the month of January. Bring the focus of intent to the forefront of magical work. I can get caught up in the intricacy of rituals. I love bringing together many different images and symbols of what I need. Yet, the simple ritual I started this article with is just as powerful, if not more so, for me during winter. A rock, a flame, a breath and water. A reminder that, for me, I dwell within the Goddess and the Goddess dwells within me. Graceful.\u00a0\u00a0 Powerful. Simple.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6272\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}