SimplyNumbers

Quote ~ John Eldredge

There is a secret set within each of our hearts. It often goes unnoticed, we rarely can put words to it, and yet it guides us throughout the days of our lives. This secret remains hidden for the most part in our deepest selves. It is simply the desire for life as it was meant to be. Isn't there a life you have been searching for all your days? You may not always be aware of your search, and there are times when you seem to have abandoned looking altogether. But again and again it returns to us, this yearning that cries out for the life we prize. It is elusive, to be sure. It seems to come and go at will. Seasons may pass until it surfaces again. And though it seems to taunt us, and may at times cause us great pain, we know when it returns that it is priceless. For if we could recover this desire, unearth it from beneath all other distractions, and embrace it as our deepest treasure, we would discover the secret of our existence. ~ Desire (1-2), John Eldredge

Discovery News: Cultured People Feel Less Stress

People who go to museums and concerts or create art or play an instrument are more satisfied with their lives, a study finds.

Conquering your fears

Your fears may be limiting you from living up to your full potential. Your Numerology reading (see the Core Numbers) can offer insight and guidance to best live your life authentically and purposefully. Part of living in this way is understanding that we will have fears, uncertainty and doubts, yet managing your life in spite of them. Our fears and doubts can keep us rooted to a place that is not satisfying or fulfilling. Finding ways to loosen their grip can help you to better pursue your passion, and move ahead in your life.

Learning more about yourself and your reactions is critical to your success! As you learn more about yourself, you can get a better handle on the situations and events that typically trigger you. What emotional triggers do you have? Your particular reactions may be based on where are you in your life, versus where you want to be. Being in the tension of this can create anxiety. However, finding effective ways of dealing with this anxiety can help you to feel more in control of your life, and step out of the worry.

Are you reaching your goals? Do you like you are on your right path? Improving yourself may involve looking at what it is that you do well, and evaluating its opposite in your life. The opposite may offer some insight into your doubt and worry. For instance, If you are a great organizer, then ask yourself when the last time you painted was. You may be so caught up in the practical and everyday, that you’ve fear you have no time for play or forgotten how to be creative! If you are a great painter, ask yourself when was the last time that you balanced your checkbook.

Yes, fear is a common problem from which none of us is immune. Don't ignore it. Accept it, and try to find methods to help yourself overcome its limiting and destructive power. Fear is common to us all to some degree. There are many things that we all may generally fear, such as a fear of rejection, fear of feeling inadequate fear of failure, and fear of loss.

However, conquering your uncertainties, doubts and fears is about taking on your particular challenges that you to tend to put off. It doesn’t matter whether you are challenged by work or play. We all need a sense of balance in our lives. Create space and time for both what you are passionate about, and your daily needs and responsibilities. Don't put either on the back burner. Allow both to have importance.

By bringing greater balance into your life, you can at least begin to feel like you are not neglecting parts of your life. It’s about stepping more fully in your life. It might not sound sexy and exciting, but it’s a step that you can take toward building more self-confidence. And, the more self-confident that you feel, the better chance that you’ll have at living your life purposefully and living through your passion, rather than fear.

You may want look at where you get stuck in doubt or fear, perhaps by pushing away ideas, hopes or dreams. It doesn't matter whether they seem achievable or not. Your ideas may help you to feel fulfilled and progress along your Life Path. By belittling, neglecting or devaluing your desires, you're devaluing yourself.

After reviewing your Core Numbers you may have some questions that you might like to consider:

• How do I let memories of the past influence my present behavior?
• How can I let go of past criticisms from others?
• How can I begin to believe in myself?
• Where can I find the support the I need?
• Who is supporting me in my life right now?
• Who am I supporting right now?
• How can I have compassion for myself and others?

Spend some time with alone or with a trusted friend or partner and review your answers. Perhaps you can begin to find ways, especially with compassion and patience, to walk away from your negative self-talk and find a way to constructively make important changes in your life.

Together, we can also look at your Current Year chart to see the dynamics that are happening and evaluate any potential challenges or opportunities. There may be situations that are presenting a chance for you to take steps into new situations, especially if you are not letting your doubts get in your way.

You might be in a period of time that relates to transitioning and ending, but that doesn't mean that you can't plan for the future. There are always steps that you can take to work toward achieving your dreams. Following your passion is really about understanding the potential of the moment and working with that dynamic, rather than struggling against it.

Hey you, stop right there!

Don't move a muscle! Well, okay you can breathe. Now that I've got your attention, you can relax. For a few moments today try to find the time to think about the things that you are excited about in your life. What are they? Who are they? How many things can you name? This really isn't about quantity, but the more things that you have excitement and passion for, then the more at ease you can feel with your life.

You may want to record your thoughts with a journal or voice recorder for later reflection. Right now, just spill out whatever it is that you're excited about and don't try to edit your thoughts. Just let your thoughts flow.

You can review your thoughts alone, but you may want to have a friend or partner do this exercise as well. Then, you can review each others reflections. A partner might catch things that you might have missed. Together, you can dialogue about what these things brings into your life and makes it that much more interesting.

Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain. ~ Joseph Campbell

Pursuing your dreams

Actively living your dreams and leading the life that you really desire may mean remembering, and finding ways to work with, your childhood dreams. Your early childhood dreams can provide clues and insight into a rewarding course of action today, especially if you have hidden or unsatisfied yearnings. As a child you probably had boundless vision. Your possibilities were limitless!

Do you remember wishing upon a comet or a star? Were you encouraged to have desire, hope and faith? Did you believe in magic? Did you leave treats out on special holidays? Did you leave a tooth under your pillow expecting a reward? Didn't you joke that recess was your favorite class? Playing was fun. As an adult, have your let something get in the way of playing and having fun? Men's author Robert Bly, warns men in particular to not let "fear cut down your ability to play."

Recapturing the magic of childhood may allow you to be better able to pursue your dreams. Do you remember your sense of imagination and wonderment as a child? For many of us, childhood was a time when anything was possible and magic was somehow real! That magic, the power of potential, is what we are looking for. I believe it's deep in all of our hearts and minds.

Pursuing your dreams can mean nudging, pushing, or waking up the part of you that understands that you indeed can unlock the magic in life. You could begin to do this by unearthing your long buried fantasies. These fantasies hold creative power. Utilizing the power of those long ago forgotten dreams, can be both scary and fascinating. Think about all the really exciting and cool things you were going to do when you grew up! Who had dreams of going to the moon? How about living underwater, or experiencing time travel? Did you want to be a doctor, fireman, policeman, actor or astronaut? Being creative, imaginative and having some kind of faith, or hope in your life as a child lays the groundwork for being able to be inspired and have the ability to hope and dream as an adult.

Soul Loss

Within Shamanism, personal illness, grief or injury is said to cause us to have Soul Loss. Psychology might label this as PTSD or Depression. However Soul Loss is labeled it really represents a loss of joy, passion and connectedness, whether large or small, in your life. It might be caused by a breakup early in life, that makes you feel like you need to be more protective and withdrawn. It might be caused by the loss of a loved one, causing you to feel less loved.

Symptoms of Soul Loss might include feelings of incompleteness, disconnectedness, depression, being trapped, or sadness. Also, in our world today, PTSD and related illnesses are also powerful signs of Soul Loss. When you have recurring feelings that something is missing or absent from your life, then you have probably experienced Soul Loss. You’ll hear people talk about having lost something, after a Soul Loss experience. They will say “The relationship took a part of me.” or “The job sucked the life out of me.” But, Shamanism shows that these injuries can be healed. It is critically important to know and understand that Shamanism teaches that if you are willing, you can heal from Soul Loss.

Within Shamanism, a Shaman can assist you to heal from Soul Loss by working with you to do a Soul Retrieval journey. In the journey you are given the ability to go back and retrieve, and work with, the lost parts of your Soul and find answers to important questions. Your answers might not come in words, but instead sounds, colors, imagery or ideas. Whatever comes to you, ideally, you’ll be asking “What if there is more to life than I currently imagine?”

The Soul retrieval process can help you to begin to engage with the support and assistance that is available in your life, that you simply may be unable to see yet. People and outside events may have already hinted at what needs to be healed in your life. The process helps to open you up to the language of the universe. Your answer may show you where in your life that you need to apply it. For instance, in your journey you may see images of angry coworkers in your journey. You might already know that you somehow cause this anger, but this could be an opportunity to look at and heal your own anger and control issues, especially at work.

When you have strayed away from your true calling, you could look to your Life Path in Numerology to help you in your healing process to get back on the right path. Following your Life Path is really about finding a way to listen to your heart, so that you can honor your self, and step away from a process that cause you to feel unworthy, unwanted, and unvalued. It's about valuing your inventiveness, creativity and passion.

Your Soul Retrieval may help you to begin to heal, but it really should serve as reminder of the importance of having meaning, joy and passion in your life. Which can be facilitated by believing in your abilities and finding ways to open to, and follow, your Life Path. Without meaning, joy and passion our lives lose vitality. Having the courage, stamina and desire to seek out the benefits of a Soul Retrieval is about the willingness to ask what is needed in life. Then the next step will to be to integrate what you have learned. And, also finding that by asking, you can find and work with incredible answers that can help you to heal, change, grow and achieve your full potential.

Questions to ask to determine if you are following your dreams

If you are struggling within a particular situation, or looking to make important changes in your life the questions below might help you to look at your present circumstances in a new light.

• Do you feel like you are doing your best?
• Do you feel like you are being judged?
• What don’t you allow in your life?
• Do you feel supported?
• Do you feel like you're letting others down
• Do you feel shamed?
• Do you feel betrayed?
• Are you critical of yourself?
• Do others encourage you?

The questions can help to shine a light on where you have room for growth in your life and where you have achieved some level of success. A strong sense of joy can come from allowing yourself to be successful. You may also find that calm and peace are more readily accessible when you allow yourself to go where your inner guidance leads.

It can be a life changing experience to be able to share your success, joy and adventure with others. When we share our lives with others then we can add richness, vitality and meaning to our lives and have many more reasons to celebration.

One resource that may help you to more easily prepare for, and make, changes is working with an affirmation. Affirmations may seem simple, but they can serve as a supportive tool that can help to lift your spirits, and help to reaffirm your belief in yourself.

Only you know what your real dreams and desires are. When you communicate your ideas and hopes with others, they may be better able to offer support, encouragement or stability for you that you had not thought of. You will also able to share your joy with others! The possibilities are endless.

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

What does Independence Day mean to you? For the United States, this is the 234th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence helped to form the United States into a free nation. Because of this, July 4th has greater historical significance than many of our other holidays.

As a collective we have come to honor the holiday in ways that allow families to gather together and observe our freedom, pride and independence. As a parent, guardian or educator you may wish to provide your children with the appropriate historical information regarding the 4th of July. As we mature, many of us recognize the hard won contributions of the the brave men and women who fought for our freedom before 1776 and those who still fight for it.

Of course, fireworks play a central role in the festivities. Did you know that fireworks were first introduced into the US in the early 1500s? Many of us love the fireworks displays with magic, bright and flashy  colors and booming reverberations.  In a way, the fireworks can symbolize the sounds, smells, and destructive nature of war. They can represent the wars that we fight all over the world, and the wars we fight within ourselves. The fireworks serve as a powerful reminder that others have made sacrifices for us and our freedoms.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed." ~ Beginning lines of the Declaration of Independence

How will you be celebrating your freedom and independence? From what are you free? The Declaration of Independence has come to represent our liberty and freedom. How do you honor this within your life? It is a driving force in our ability to pursue our lives, liberties and our happiness! We are all free to celebrate our lives in the ways that we choose, but unfortunately this is not yet globally true.

I would urge you to look within and begin to honor those parts of yourself that do know what freedom means. But, I would also look to those parts of yourself that are wounded, frightened, angry or confused about what freedom means. Can you find a way to heal those parts of your soul? Can you find a way to begin to loosen their hold on your life? One way to begin a process than enables you to let go, and then you might be able to find ways to feel better about yourself and your life by developing, and working with, a greater connection to your emotions and feelings.

The fireworks serve as a reminder of sacrifices that have been made for us. And, the fireworks connect us with each other and can be a conduit for connecting with our joy, passion and drive. After all, the fireworks are best experienced when we can feel them in our hearts! Opening to feeling can give you a fuller and grander appreciation to your life. By developing a connection to your heart, you can more fully participate and engage in life and allow liberty and happiness in!

Tools & Resources:

• Law of Attraction/Abraham Hicks - Emotional Guidance Scale
• Numerology - Tools for letting go

Play

Dr. Stuart Brown and the importance of "Play".