Look out! It is happening again. Mercury is in retrograde April 17 through May 11. This means you may experience some breakdown in communication and some technical difficulties. You may also be hearing about this more this year than in previous years because in 2010 Mercury Retrogrades four times versus three for most years. Please be aware of Mercury retrograde and call us if you need help getting through. We have plenty of wonderful readers who can answer questions regarding Mercury retrograde.

Elisha Goldstein, Ph.D.: 10 Ways to Bring Meaning Into Your Life.

My life can often appear to be hectic. At times it feels like I overload myself with more things than I could possibly ever accomplish. As I’m going to sleep, my mind wanders with all the things I need to get done, and when I’m awake during the day I catch my mind thinking about all the things that need to get done. Take a shower, make coffee, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, write, go see clients, etc. … When I’m not mindful, at the end of the day I can truly ask myself, “Where did the day go?” Enough of these, and I can ask myself the same questions in weeks, months, or even years! Can you relate to this?

So when I feel like these questions are coming up, I do some brief exercises that help bring me to the present moment and remind myself that I’m living.

1. For five minutes: Whatever you are doing, just do it slightly slower. At work, we are all given tasks to do. One time per day, for five minutes, do that task a little bit slower. Do not do the task in slow motion, or take breaks from the task, simply do it a little bit slower.

2. Take five minutes at lunch to notice what you’re eating. You can actually do this at an meal, or any time you eat. You are going to notice what your food looks like, how it smells, feels, and tastes. As you pick up your food, notice the texture of it, is it bumpy, smooth, wet? Notice what you smell. As you take it in your mouth notice how it feels in your mouth, notice the tastes that are coming out of it, how your teeth break it down. As you swallow it, notice it going down your throat. Do the same with the drink.

3. Take three minutes to just sit and notice your breath. Sit in a place of your choice, could be behind your desk, or anywhere. Close your eyes. For three minutes, simply pay attention to your breath. For these three minutes, your breath gets your undivided attention. If you notice yourself thinking about something, even the thought “Why am I doing this stupid exercise?”, just notice that you’re thinking that and then gently bring your attention back to your breath.

4. Wash the dishes. If you’re not used to doing dishes, there will be many benefits to this one. As you begin to wash the dishes, notice the texture of the plate and the warmth of the water on your hands. Inhale and notice if there is any scent. Listen to hear the rush of the water or any other sounds that are happening around you. Not only will you be able to practice being in the moment, but many of your family and friends will be thrilled with you.

5. Take a bath or shower. Preferably a bath if you have one, but even with a shower, you can take your moment in the shower or bath to feel the warmth of the water or feel how your body is immersed in the water. How does your skin feel? Do you notice any smells? Is your hair wet? Just be in the moment and notice all your senses … breathe.

6. Make love slightly slower for a few moments. As you are making love to your significant other, take a moment to purposely move slightly slower. As you do this begin to mentally feel over all parts of your body. How your skin feels when touching his/hers, how are you breathing? Are you sweating? Is there a scent in the air? Take a moment and really be there making love.

7. Smell a flower for an extra breath. This one I love. Often times I will be passing by a flower and if I remember to smell it, I take an extra inhalation to really get the full experience of the scent. You will be surprised how much that extra inhalation makes a difference in the experience.

8. Be silly. I’m serious;). Being silly allows your creative juices to flow and your creative juices is what life is all about. Letting yourself be silly can also be very relaxing and create joyful situations that are full of meaning.

9. Write a letter to someone close to you … telling them how much you appreciate them. This is not a new idea by any stretch, yet it is always worth mentioning since it is so meaningful. A letter that that person will always cherish.

10. Remind yourself that you are a miracle. This may be the most important. How they heck did any of us get here? When we break it down to nanotechnology and quantum physics, scientists are stumped to figure out the great mystery of us physically being here and interacting and creating symbols and concepts and communicating.

It’s boggling. That’s why our moments on this earth are so precious, and it is a wonderful gift to attempt to cultivate those moments in life that you consider to be sacred.

You get the idea … try it out.

What works for you in bringing meaning to your life? Please share your thoughts, stories and questions below. Your interaction provides a living wisdom for us all to benefit from.

***Originally published on Mindfulness and Psychotherapy at Psychcentral.com. To read more of Elisha, visit his blog, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy at Psychcentral.com, or subscribe here. You may also find him at www.drsgoldstein.com.

This article was written by Sebastian Siegel. Actor, Artist, Athlete, and Lover of Life. Posted on April 14th, 2010, 02:03pm @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sebastian-siegel/consciousness-intuition_b_536664.html

Intuition is the pull of something beyond you, deeper than you, a subtle potentiality of second sight, telling you where you ought to go — your propensity, your destiny, your soul. Courage is the sure hand by which the potential that is intuited can be believed in without knowing the complete path of its manifestation. Living is the engagement of life, awareness of, and response to that call. And even more, it is the requisite for pulse and music. And this rhythm is the ultimate apothecary for the transcendence of loss and loneliness, and the ticket to eternity.

The tragedy of life isn’t that life ends, but that for most the end doesn’t feel deserved — as if it always comes too soon. In other words, the tragedy in life is not death, but exists in not nurturing the calling within to go beyond oneself. It is here that potential beauty is murdered by neglect. It feels magical when the sweet hint of destiny, and subtle call to action, comes as the dance of a falling leaf. And it is ominous, yet still beautiful, when that call becomes a warning, and the sign shows as the dark cloud on the horizon accompanied by an ache in the gut — but knowingly still not too late for response. But when it is easier to twist oneself into another animal, than to face the reworking that must be done to get back in touch with that call – that is when the neglect of that voice becomes a heinous self-crime. That is when the subtle, sweet musical call becomes a vociferating screech — the culprit being fear, or worse, complacency. You were born out of it, this voice that existed before you, and so your destiny is just to manifest its music out of the beautiful expression of you.

It is true that out of complacency, the minds power of justification to avoid a tall order of destiny can be conveniently mistaken as intuition. But the subtle currents of true intuition will resonate from the soul, through to the dreams and breathe and expression of the individual, so when it is cut off and denied, it only delivers the self into a muted wasteland of confusion. And the feeling of uneasiness from not heeding that call should be acted upon — it is an evolutionary mechanism of eternity itself, to find its being in the continual rhythm of unfolding and manifesting. It’s a sign post on a phenomenon, delivered to you by your greater being, in a deep language you’ve known forever. The process is the destination and consciousness is the ticket to ride.

And since consciousness precedes reality, when we don’t challenge ourselves, we feel ashamed. Because in every moment, we are either stepping towards growth and light or stagnancy and rot — towards life or towards death. It’s healthy to want this biological life, but at the expense of not living it for fear of loosing it, is to suffocate the soul. And since biological life is predeterminately brief, when the soul suffers, it seeps out so that Spirit may steal it away and deposit its essence in an account that can bear to give it life.

Yes, I wish to live! But I will never hold on so tightly that I cannot climb –
climb to the sky, climb to the moon, climb to the stars and climb to eternity. Yes the process really is the destination, so I’ll breathe, and make love to it. As you feel it, the face of destiny intuits you also, and its will is mirroring you right now.

Follow Sebastian Siegel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/SebastianSiegel

Relationship Counseling – Relationship Help – Save Relationship – Cosmopolitan.com.

1. You give and give and give and give
Have you heard the one about the doting girlfriend who gave her heart to a guy for three years, only for him to say that he’s not the marrying kind? And then when they break up, he turns around and proposes to some bitch (and we do mean bitch!), three months later.

“I see it all the time,” confesses Randi Gunther, PhD, couples counselor, and author of the upcoming book Relationship Saboteurs (June 2010). “Women know they have the capacity to nurture and care for men, and will be extremely giving. The problem is when a woman holds it against her partner—as if she’s a martyr—and the guy suddenly feels very guilty and, even worse, obligated. A man likes a bitch because she has her own agenda that isn’t all about him; he likes that he’s not totally responsible for her happiness.”

If you enjoy being a giving person, then by all means, keep it up. Just understand that it’s like putting money into a bank that has a hole on the bottom—you can’t expect to cash in (say, like for a commitment from a guy). Do nice things because you want to—and don’t forget to be a little selfish too.

2. You overcommunicate
With all the Facebooking, tweeting, IMing, e-mailing, and texting going on, it might feel impossible to not communicate a lot with your boyfriend or husband, at least indirectly. But all that extraneous info about what you’re doing dissolves your alluring mystery, warns Ian Kerner, PhD, sex therapist and author of She Comes First.

“I actually defriended my wife on Facebook,” he admits. “We’ve all heard the phrase that familiarity breeds contempt, but in this age of social networking, perhaps familiarity breeds something worse: boredom.”

Keep some of your mystery—and mask your mundane day-to-day life—by resisting the urge to check in with your guy constantly. And ditch all the dumb updates about what you had for breakfast. We promise you that No. One. Cares.

3. You air all your frustrations to your friends
Admit it: A good venting sesh with your girls feels great. You get to rant about how you think your man was checking out another girl last Saturday, or how you can’t believe he wants to buy a new car when he could be saving that money for an engagement ring. But constantly telling your friends your guy gripes—even the smallest stuff—can sabotage your relationship, says Gunther.

“Your friends want to support you, will sympathize with you, and won’t challenge you,” explains Gunther. “So then everyone comes away from the chat with the deep opinion that your boyfriend or husband is usually in the wrong.”

All your bitching and moaning can have a lasting effect on how your friends feel about your guy, and eventually they’ll stop supporting your relationship because they remember every last jerky thing he’s done. Not good. So, bottom line? You don’t have to cut the chick chat altogether…but tone it down, and be sure to tell them about the nice things he does every once in a while too. You’ll feel much better about your relationship overall if you remind yourself from time to time that he’s a good guy.

4. You don’t think you’re hot
Do you have a hard time accepting compliments about your body? Freak out at the thought of your guy watching you walk butt-naked to the bathroom? Cringe anytime your guy grazes his hand across your stomach? These seemingly minor habits could be more dangerous than you realize because poor self-esteem about your body can damage your sex life, warns Kerner.

“If you don’t feel sexy, you’re just not as interested in having sex,” says Kerner. “Or maybe you only want to do it with the lights off or leave some of your clothes on. Many men I work with are very frustrated because they think their girlfriends and wives are beautiful, but the women are very inhibited.”

To keep your insecurities from hurting your relationship, the first thing you have to do is take your body-bashing down a notch. Stop pointing out your flaws to your guy—you don’t want him to start believing what you’re saying, do you? It’s easier said than done, but start making the transition by incorporating confident little changes in the bedroom. Even if you really don’t want the lights on, try lighting a few candles instead. After all, everyone looks good in candlelight!

5. You confuse hopes with realistic expectations
Have you ever fantasized about your boyfriend doing something special—say, throwing a surprise birthday party for you—and then thought about it so much that when it didn’t happen, you were genuinely disappointed? Maybe you even got a little mad that all he did was get you a cupcake and sweater from Express. This kind of behavior can wreak havoc on your bond.

“You can’t walk into a relationship with a script,” says Gunther. “A lot of us have neurotic expectations, but are so invested in our fantasies that we keep going back to them. It’s fine to hope for certain things from your man, but they need to be based on some realistic potential of actually being satisfied.”

In other words, if your boyfriend never plans weekend getaways, stop disappointing yourself by daydreaming that he’ll whisk you away to a B&B. It’s fun to have fantasies, but if they’re causing constant disappointment in your relationship, you’re just setting yourself up to fail. Focus on the stuff your guy does right (rather than what he’s not doing), and you’ll strengthen—not sabotage—your love connection.

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Eli Davidson: Why Are You So Hard On Yourself?.

The results of last week’s quiz showed that just about everyone has a case of Perfectionitis. Fellow Huffington Post blogger, Dr. Cara Barker http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-cara-barker did a 10 year study on this challenge. Her work entitled, World Weary Woman: Her Wound and Transformation came to the same conclusion. Here is what we found: There are not a lot of people who are living in healthy self-acceptance. The culture just doesn’t support it.

The Bra and Pantyhose Problem
If you are a working woman, you are likely to have the added pressure of managing both work and home life. If you are an entrepreneur, you are trying to do everything. If you are a woman working in a corporate environment you may have to work harder than the men to prove yourself. Sorry guys this is an ailment that is more prevalent in women. Basically, if you own a bra and have ever worn pantyhose, my money is on the table that you have a touch of the old Perfectionitis bug.

Our society, founded on the Protestant work ethic, seems to think the Impossible Workload is just peachy keen and even necessary for success. People get more strokes for achievement than for being happy, so they willingly take on what is in fact a toxic work schedule. Magazines are full of stories of uber women who cook as well as Martha Stewart, are as slim as Kate Moss, run an empire like Oprah, and claim to have a dreamy marriage, all on three hours of sleep a night.

Pop quiz: Is it better to be successful or happy?

News journals sing the praises of executives who hardly rest like they’re a new, improved breed of capitalist warrior, above and beyond the mere mortal who needs a daily eight hours of shut-eye and eight glasses of water. “Extreme Jobs (and the People Who Love Them). 80-Hour Weeks? Endless Travel? High Stress? Bring It On!” was the cover caption on an edition of Fast Company magazine. Next to the article was a cartoon of a woman holding a cell phone: “I Have No Life . . . and I Love It!” Boy, she sure needs an anti Perfectionitis prescription!

Lydia’s Story
More and more companies are demanding insane work loads as a norm. A member of an audience of women executives drove the point home dramatically. Lydia is a slim, vibrant brunette with bright eyes. A partner in a large law firm, she was about to retire. “In the late 70s and early 80s the hours I put in made me look like one of the hardest-working people in the firm. If I worked those same hours as a young lawyer who had just joined the firm today, I would be fired as a slacker.” Her voice lowered as she continued. “My daughter is a young attorney who is trying to become a partner at a law office in New York City. She works such long hours that the stores are closed by the time she goes home. Sometimes she just doesn’t have the time to go buy toilet paper, so she steals some to take home from the firm’s supply.”

Etiology: How the Heck Does It Happen?
Two things come together to bring on a bout of Perfectionitis: a culture that values high performance above everything else, and a person with low self-esteem who has assimilated those values and is motivated to try to live up to them. When somewhere inside you believe you are unworthy, inadequate, or incompetent, it’s easy to start living from the outside in. You do things to get approval from others–the culture, your boss, family, teacher, colleagues, or children–instead of doing what is a healthy choice for you.

As a kid it is easy to equate being good with being loved. Your good manners get applauded. The bad ones are punished. As time goes on, your value as a person may seem to be based on how you perform. In some families there is even the message that if you don’t excel at school, sports, or socially, you are a big failure. Behavior, then, appears to be a magic wand. It has the power to get you more love. How intoxicating! It casts its spell time and time again.

If you were like me growing up, you thought, “Boy, I want to be loved all of the time, but I can’t be good all of the time. I can only be good some of the time. If I can’t be good all the time, I must be bad inside. That means I have to work extra hard to do things really, really, really well.”

Like so many other women, you become a champion self-nitpicker. You chide yourself about your weight, your career, your woefully single status. *

Bottom Line:
Self-criticism is a convoluted defense mechanism: “If I am hard on myself, then other people won’t have to be.”
Pop Quiz Answer: Happy= Successful

* Excerpted from Funky to Fabulous: Surefire Success Stories for The Savvy, Sassy
and Swamped (Oak Grove Press) with permission.

You can receive notice of my blogs by checking Become a Fan at the top. Ask Eli a question at info@elidavidson.com or go to www.elidavidson.com today.

Eli Davidson is a nationally recognized motivational speaker and executive coach. Her book, Funky to Fabulous: Surefire Success Stories for the Savvy, Sassy and Swamped, (Oak Grove Publishing) has won three national book awards. Eli is a reinvention catalyst, who can transform your professional and personal life from Funky to Fabulous with her 10 trademarked Turnaround Techniques that create rapid and remarkable results. Check out her blog at http://funkytofabulous.blogspot.com/

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Written by Kristen Houghton, author of  “And Then I’ll Be Happy!”
Posted: April 6, 2010 12:36 PM on The Huffington Post Website

“For of All Sad Words of Tongue and Pen, the Saddest are These, It Might Have Been…..” John Greenleaf Whittier

Imagine reaching a point in your life where you looked back over the years and deeply regretted not having done something you whole-heartedly wanted to do. Now imagine the reasons. Did you not pursue your dream goal because you put yourself second or third to everything and everyone else in your life? Or maybe it was because you were afraid to try and become dejected over not being good enough to “make it immediately?”

“It might have been” is a sad commentary to describe a life. That makes it a life lived without personal fulfillment. Unfortunately those words will become prophetic if, for whatever reason, you aren’t nourishing your dreams.

What is sadder still is never having even tried because you felt at a certain age that it was too late for your success. However, dreams should have no age limit.

The great news is that it is never too late to begin to put yourself at the top of your list, prioritize, and do what you’ve always wanted to do. No matter if you’re in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, or beyond, you can still have your chance. Becoming successful is not limited to one certain age or even one career. In fact, the most successful people are the ones who have reinvented themselves, tried, failed, and tried again. Let’s redefine the word failure as simply a plan that didn’t work the first time around. It may just need a few tweaks and perseverance.

The following are great examples of people who did exactly that; they kept trying.

F. Murray Abraham got his first decent screen role as an actor when he was 45. The role was in the movie Amadeus and he won an Academy Award for his brilliant portrayal of Antonio Salieri. He had thought of giving up acting just two years before but thankfully didn’t.

Andrea Bocelli didn’t start singing opera seriously until the age of 34. Some ‘experts’ told him it was too late to begin.

Phyliss Diller became a comedian at the age of 37. She was told by many club owners that she was “too old” to become a success.

Stan Lee, creator of Spider-Man, was 43 when he began drawing his legendary superheroes and his partner Jack Kirby was 44 when he created The Fantastic Four.

Julia Child didn’t even learn to cook until she was almost 40 and didn’t launch her popular show until she was 50.

Elizabeth Jolley had her first novel published at the age of 56. In one year alone she received 39 rejection letters but finally had 15 novels and four short story collections published to great success. Mary Wesley was 71 when her first novel was published. Talk about not giving up!

Ricardo Montalban had his dream house built at the age of 68. That was when he was finally financially able to do so and he went full-speed ahead with it.

Harlan Sanders, the Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, was 66 when he began to promote his style of cooking and create an empire.

Laura Ingalls Wilder began writing as a columnist in her 40s. Contrary to a belief begun by the TV series about her family, the popular Little House books weren’t written when she was a young girl at all. They were written and published when the ‘girl’ was in her 60′s!

All of these people were discouraged at times and afraid. Being human, they thought about giving up but didn’t; they kept their dreams alive and continued to strive for what they wanted. They didn’t assign an age limit to their dreams and neither should you.

If, as John Greenleaf Whittier says, the saddest words are “it might have been,” the next saddest have to be “I should have tried.”

Trying is in itself a form of succeeding.  Succeed at valuing yourself and go for it!

copyright 2010 Kristen Houghton @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristen-houghton/dreams-have-no-age-limit_b_525358.html

ARIES: March 21st – April 20th ~ “Pets born under the sign of Aries are bold and adventurous.”

DOGS: As the first sign of the zodiac it is only natural that Aries pets want to be the ringleader. Outdoor adventures will appeal to your pet and a jog will help to ease the extra energy. Outdoor sport dogs flourish under the sign of Aries. Most Aries dogs cannot stomach to be tied up and left alone in a yard. They are active animals who love attention. They love to explore the environments around them. They want make their mark upon the world. Your pet will enjoy the company of other less dominate dogs and may be a little scrappy so keep an eye out for territorial behavior.

CATS: Aries felines are loners. If your cat is an outdoors lover sometimes they will disappear for days visiting neighbors and outdoor friends. Like their canine counterparts they a dominant force to be reckoned with and are intolerant of other animals who they see as intruders on their territory. Keep the fish tank and bird cage under lock and key or there will be a difficulty. In the evenings you may hear your Aries cat hissing at any felines whom have stayed into their terrain. Outdoor cats are probably covered in battle scars and may have a piece or two missing from his ear. Aries cats are certainly not boring. You will love their liveliness, independence, and personality.

One of the more simple ways to help your energy is to take control of your living space with color.  

If you want to add a Fire Element to your life that will add passion and energy, you should probably add the colors of red, orange, purple, pink, and forceful yellow.   These colors should help surround you with support, assist in granting you the recognition you deserve, and support progress at work.  You should usually use these colors in the Northeast and Southwest feng shui areas of your space.

If you want to add an Earth Element to your life, add the colors of light yellow, beige, and light earth-tone colors.  Earth generally helps to create stability, nourishment and harmony in the home.  It also helps to protect relationships.  You should use these colors in the Northeast and Southwest feng shui areas of your space.

If you want to add a Water Element to your life, add the colors of blue or black.  This may help bring calmness and ease to your living space.  These colors should help to promote abundance and purity in your home.  Water is the element of the North.  It can also be used in the East and Southeast.

If you want to add a Wood Element to your home, use the colors of brown and green.  This should promote health and energetic living.  These colors also should promote growth and abundance.  It can also be used in the East and Southeast part of your space.  It is also good to use in the South.

If you want to add a Metal Element to your home, use gray and white.  These colors promote clear thinking and precision.  This should help you live a balanced life.  Metal can generally be put to good use in the North part of your space.  It is also appropriate for the West and Northwest.

Feng Shui is an interesting subject.  One of the easiest ways to help create the energy you want with your space is can be with color.  Remember that you are in charge of your life.

The Original Solution Psychics at The Psychic Line known for Quality are proud of our tested readers and our service.  When questions arise, give us a call!  Even though we can use the tools of Feng Shui to assist us with our energy, issues do come up.  Remember, if you have issues – we have insight!   Our clairvoyant (some with tarot) readers are here to help you.

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