Superlative Deviation: Life With Meaning, Life With Joy

Category: helpful information

Personal Post: “New Year’s Edition”

December 30th, 2020
I’ve transitioned to living according to the Angelic Year, which means we count time differently. Our year begins in the spring and ends in the fall. Lately, I’ve begun feeling a bit of a springtime vibe, and I am using it to lift my spirits by making new goals and creating steps to fulfill them. Fortuitously, I was given a new day planner today! Thank you, Source! Following Alura really helps. I don’t know where I’d be without her.

Today, I felt some of the heaviness and dread that’s hanging in the air. I recognized it for what it undoubtedly was and decided I wouldn’t let it get me down. I asked my guides for help and even sent in a prayer to “Nasha”, the angel of comfort. I played and sang some mantras, including some new ones I’ve found and saved to my playlist on Youtube. While doing that, I stayed physically active by cleaning the house and petting our sweet feline friend who had come to visit. (He’s always a wonderful picker-upper!) I even managed to get ahold of a friend and chat a while through texts, sharing jokes and funny pictures. Next on the agenda is cheering up some people in our online community. Anyone who wants to join is welcome to send in a request! The link is on this page.

Don’t think for a minute that all is lost. That’s the dark consciousness talking, not your soul. It’s a struggle, but there are always things you can do to make life better. The added bonus is that when others see what you’re doing, they are often encouraged to take part without you having to say anything. Sometimes the best way to cure negativity is to jump in and redirect your thoughts. Many people don’t do that. When they come across someone who does, sometimes they can’t help but be carried along. It’s always hard in the beginning, but after a little while, it becomes much easier.

The only person who determines whether or not you are going to be limited is you – not the current situation, not your financial situation, not where you live. You. I didn’t believe this until I lived through it, until I stopped repeating what others said and started listening to what my mentor was trying to explain to me. No matter what the world had placed before me, I was the one who had chosen to go along with it. So I decided to say no for a change and take a chance on something that, while no less frightening, couldn’t be any worse than where I was.

I’m still learning this lesson on a deeper level, and it still holds true. I can’t let anything hold me back now. There’s still so much to learn, do, experience, and change. I’m excited to see what the new year brings! So what if it’s less than perfect? There’s always room for growth, and the Heavens can carry you just fine.
- E.W.
Contribution to The Weekly Smile: “Holidays and Change – One Step At a Time” #weeklysmile

December 23rd, 2020
There’s a lot I could contribute to the Weekly Smile this week, but I think I’ll save some of it for my personal posts. Today, I wanted to share something I’ve not only learned but started practicing in life.

Keeping up with goals is harder than ever these days, and I have it on excellent authority it will probably get harder. So I decided to follow the advice of my best friend and mentor, Alura, in the recent post she did on her spiritual lifestyle blog (which I shared here) and began organizing my day in a different way. I cut out some of the things I do on a daily basis to make time to work on my goals. As a result, I find I’m not only continuing to make headway on the bigger things but also making some new memories and having more fun.

For instance, my mother and I usually watch a movie we have on DVD in the evening (we haven’t watched or even owned a television set in years – thank goodness!). Instead, we watched a thirty-minute episode of one of our favorite shows that I got from the library and then spent the rest of the evening making Christmas cards and slipping them under our neighbors’ doors. I love surprising people and had been wanting to do some more crafting for weeks but hadn’t had the time. I then wrote a letter to a dear friend who’s been having major financial trouble so that she won’t feel so alone during the holiday season.

A lot of people seem to think they have to send all their cards and gifts out by a certain date during this time of year, but I’ve never found timing to be very important when it comes to this. Think of how many people get a lot of well-wishes on Christmas Day and are forgotten about the day after? Maybe that’s one of the reason this season is a big let-down for so many. (I know there are other reason, believe me. I’ve suffered with them, too.) It doesn’t matter how small your contribution is. It could mean the world to the person in need. Sometimes the people who need the most support are the ones closest to you, as well. Never pass up an opportunity to show them you care – not with money, gift cards, or electronics that lose most of their value before you leave the store. Time, attention, conversation, showing interest in their lives, compassion, empathy, instruction, and even just a listening ear are gifts that increase in value the more they’re given.

Too many people focus only on themselves, and the current situation that everyone is so focused on only pushes us all more towards looking out for number one. They say change starts with you, and it’s so true! I hope I brought a smile to at least a couple of people this week, and I’m determined not to make this a purely seasonal practice.
- E.W.
Personal Post: “Compassion and Felines”

December 23rd, 2020
In the area I live, there are a number of people who seem to think it’s safe to let their animals roam free or to walk them without a leash. I won’t go into the numerous reasons that get sunder my skin, but there are also quite a few stray cats. Two of our furry friends were taken in by a neighbor, which made us very happy. We’re not in a position to raise another fur baby right now. Unfortunately, the well-intentioned lady has a great deal to learn.

Long before I got my cat, Nora, I read everything I could find on the subject of living with cats, their personalities, what they do or don’t like, what you should and should not have around them or do when they are busy eating, grooming, etc. I thought everyone did that, but apparently not. So like any good neighbor, both my mother and I did our best to educate and help. Due to decisions made by his new mommy, one of the cats has chosen to make us his surrogate family. It’s even gotten to the point that we’ve had to start buying some food for him. Sometimes he spends the night with us. Other times, he comes by during the day and stays until the sun is in a certain position. He was abandoned by his original family and is used to being independent now.

It doesn’t cost you anything to be kind to someone, human or animal. Even with our feline friend, we started out with just supplying clean water for him. I highly recommend this for all wild life, especially now. Make sure you are filtering your water. Why keep buying bottles from the store when you can buy a filter and have a reliable source? If you think you can’t afford it, calculate how much your spending for the bottled water. It might surprise you! And we’ve all heard the stories about clean water scams.

Spread a little kindness every day. You never know what kinds of life long bonds you might make. You may find yourself helping to change someone else’s life for the better, too; and they, in turn, change yours.
- E.W.
Arrow of Truth- End of 2020 Holiday Reading

December 22nd, 2020

Holiday and New Years reading with vital information. You are not alone. Please don’t give up! If you need help, please ask. Following some of the guidance here can make changes in your life, but you have to keep it up.

Spiritually Awkward

Greetings, this is the December 2020 tarot reading for the holidays. For my VIP clients, there will be more personal insight included in their newsletter.

Humans walk this Earth with an urge to understand. But what is it that they have a great need to understand? Is it the meaning of life? Is it the meaning of their own life or for all of life? Either way, everyone seeks their purpose. They seek to understand whether they are on the correct path toward it. But how many can truly accept it once they know what it is? The idea is that, everyone is seeking a meaning but is it they themselves who define it? Or is there a power higher than themselves that has already pre-destined it?

It’s a little bit of both.

Even when their purpose is finally discovered and accepted within their heart and soul, how many things…

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Personal Post: “Experience With the Shadow”

December 16th, 2020
This is a companion piece to the personal post where I shared my affirmations playlist from Youtube. That made me think of all the people who’ve tried various self-help methods that haven’t worked – which in turn, made me think of how much I’ve learned over the years both with my mentor and during the scary time when I was on my own. It’s amazing how when you’re led to the right teacher, they open your mind to things that were right there in front of you all along. It’s frightening how obvious some thing were back then, yet I still didn’t see them until they were pointed out to me. Even when it’s done kindly, some people still refuse to accept or even acknowledge the new information. I’ve seen this happen to all kinds of people, including some who sought deeper truth their whole lives. It just goes to show how deeply programmed we all are in this world to all the wrong things.

I’ve had difficulty accepting some of the wisdom Alura has offered me, especially when it concerned myself and my own perceived faults and failings. For the past couple of months, I’ve been engaged in some of the deepest shadow work I have ever experienced in my life. Even that is nothing like what I hear others talking about, online or in books. This isn’t to judge anybody. Who knows, maybe the more trendy stuff works for them. Perhaps they’re meant to learn from it later and help others who still haven’t found what they need. There are all kinds of possibilities, which makes life interesting.

As I have progressed in my shadow work journey, I’ve followed Alura’s advice and used the affirmations and mantras to help keep my vibe high. (I’ve always had trouble with that.) It’s a very interesting experience because, as I said in the earlier post, I’ve never worked with either of these tools before in a serious way. When I did try, they didn’t seem to work. Now I see one of the reasons why. It wasn’t that they were worthless. I was just expecting the wrong results. They aren’t magic wands that you wave in the air to make your troubles vanish and become a new person almost overnight. Just like anything in life, if you want to grow, you must work for it. You can’t put new wine into old wine skins, which was what I was trying to do in a way. I thought I could make improvements without dredging up the junk that was accumulating even back then. I thought I could force in the good without getting rid of the bad. Of course, part of me didn’t want to have anything to do with this kind of shadow work because I didn’t want to give anything up – least of all a part of who I was. There’s comfort in familiarity, even if the familiar things aren’t good for you.

In short, if someone who was about to go through a similar situation came to me and asked what to prepare for, I’d say be patient and compassionate. It never ceases to amaze me how the most critical (and even abusive) person in our lives is often ourselves because we can’t get away from ourselves. Alura taught me that if you don’t truly love yourself, then you can’t truly love anyone else. I didn’t fully understand before, but now I’m learning how right she is. Never think that you’re worthless or not worthy of help. Do you really think the Heavens would have bothered making you and keeping you alive all this time if They didn’t love you? The Creator doesn’t define you according to the society you live in any more than He judges you based on what other people think. He knew what what lurking in those shadows long before you did, and He still didn’t forsake you. How do I know? You saw this post, didn’t you?

May your day be filled with hope and love.
- E.W.
Personal Post: “Affirmations Playlist”

December 8th, 2020
I was never much interested in affirmations in the past because they didn’t seem to work. Looking back, it’s possible I wasn’t using the right ones or doing them for the right amount of time. We tend to get discouraged because the changes don’t happen instantly. Also, I think I wasn’t really ready to change some things about myself back then. If you’re not very willing or open, it’s harder to get into a positive mindset.

A lot has changed in my life in the intervening years because I’ve grown so much by listening to Alura. That’s not to say that life is a bowl of cherries now; everyone has good days and bad. Everyone is put through tests and challenged to overcome obstacles. That’s how you prove to yourself that you really understand what you learned. What good is the knowledge if you never get a chance to use it?

I’ve been making a playlist of positive affirmations on my Youtube channel. Periodically, I update and add new ones I find that seem to work for me. Feel free to check it out if you need some uplifting thoughts to begin or end your day with.
- E.W.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnmXah9fuEJGg_go7DKUrhA
Link: “Parenting and Traditions” by Alura

November 28th, 2020

Parenting Segment & Importance of Traditions
Link: “Quick Wisdom on Prayer” by Alura

November 28th, 2020

Quick Wisdom on Prayer
Personal Post (w. links): “Thanksgiving and the Light”

November 28th, 2020
I hope everyone made the most of their Thanksgiving holiday. We should be giving thanks to the Heavens and spending time with family all year ’round, but this is the official day when everyone participates together.

For us, Thanksgiving looks a little different because of our understanding of history, belief systems, family, and community. For us, this is a magical time, especially this year. Being a student of the person we’ve chosen as a mentor, we see what’s been happening in the world for what it really is. We understand some of the things that are going on behind the scenes and in the higher realms that govern all life here. Even though it’s a dark time, it’s vital that we not be afraid; and because we’re with someone who really helps us get somewhere, we have the assurance that everything truly will be better in the end (though perhaps not in the time frame that everybody wants).

There’s a lot of work to be done over this holiday season: improving relationships, reconnecting with those you’ve become distant from, exploring and learning from history, studying your own past mistakes so you won’t repeat them in the future, honoring your past (or at least accepting it) because it’s helped make you who you are today, reaching out to others who feel even more alone now than every before, disconnecting from the darkness of the online web and plugging back in to reality. These are just a few of my own prompts that I’ve made for myself this year. I’m determined to make this one of the most magical and educational holidays yet.

Some time soon, I hope to share a few of my own experiences that helped shape some of my ideas and views on the holidays here on the blog. At the very least, it might help others to gain a different perspective that is not based on what they get on the news or in the dominant society in general; and it gives us a chance to share a laugh or two.

During this time of year, so many go along with “keeping up with Joneses” and spending more and more money on gifts that decrease in value almost before you walk out the store. Yes, things have changed and will continue to, but if you ask me, all that matters now is how you change with it. Will you change for the better or allow them to take away the empathy, compassion, values, love, kinds, and imagination you still have? Are you going to stand by and watch your definition of home and family become what they want it to be or reshape it into what it was always meant to be? Will you bow to the hijacking of your children’s minds or do what it takes to save them? It’s up to you.

God Works In Mysterious Ways…

https://alurasangels.com/angelic-herald-the-battle/

Stay tuned for some fun updates!
- E.W.
“The Weekly Smile” #weeklysmile “The Magic Of Books!”

November 28th, 2020
One of my all-time favorite activities growing up was reading, both silently and out loud to my mother. Recently, we’ve picked the tradition back up by reading before bed. As Alura has mentioned in this new article, it’s a wonderful way to better your physical and mental health, build your vocabulary, better family time and bond with others, and even learn a few new things more easily.
At the moment, we’re having a lot of fun reviewing all my favorite childhood books. It brings back a lot of magic, values, and good humor! One of my favorites is the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books by Betty Mac Donald. (I have the original ones with illustrations by Hilary Knight.) We’ve been reading one short story a night and often laugh until it hurts.

I highly recommend them to anyone who wants something clean and decent for themselves or their children to read and share. They even make you think about some of the habits and thoughts you have yourself. Enjoy!
- E.W.