Why do we keep doing things we know aren't good for us? The answer may have less to do with weakness and more to do with habit, emotional soothing, and conditioning....
As eclipse season draws to a close, the final week of August and the opening days of September bring a striking paradox of planetary energies — a harmonious Jupiter-Saturn trine...
You already know you're tired. You've known it since you hit snooze for the third time this morning, since you poured coffee into a mug that was already full, since you sat in a...
The concept of hell has evolved significantly from ancient Greek and Roman literature to contemporary Christian interpretations. Initially depicted as a moral tool to encourage...
Healing is a continuous journey deeply intertwined with the solar plexus chakra, which influences personal growth and emotional balance. By confronting attachments and inner...
Navigating grief and fear can be overwhelming, but embracing love and maintaining an open heart can facilitate healing. This article explores the transformative power of love in...
Mercury left Leo and crossed into Virgo on August 25, 2026—a shift that feels smaller than it is. For the past month, the planet of language and logic has been moving through...
We live in a culture that treats exhaustion as evidence of commitment and relentless effort as the surest path to success. But what if that assumption is costing you the very...
Not every child who sits apart from the group is struggling. Some children genuinely prefer solitude, and for years researchers assumed that preference was harmless. New findings...
Blessing is a way of sending unconditional love, peace, healing, goodness to a person or a situation, or simply seeing them bathed in that love. Blessing isn’t associated with any religious denominations. It can be practiced by anyone, and I have an atheist friend who purchased my first edition of The Gentle Art of Blessing, and even gave copies away!
"They may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom!" This often parodied quote from Mel Gibson’s William Wallace in the film Braveheart is something of a contradiction, and yet its sentiment is easy to understand. Nothing gets our hackles up more than being told that we have no choice over something.
It’s been said that whatever brings us to face the essential truth of our lives may be called “grace.” Frequently, grace assumes a form that feels more like a curse than a blessing. It can be a life-threatening illness, the loss of a family member, being fired from a job, the kids leaving home (or coming back), divorce, a serious accident, or any number of possible crises that can be encountered in one’s life.
A successful relationship has two very important components: learning to love yourself first, and then learning to love another person. Too many people ignore the first part, then wonder why it’s so hard to love another. It’s like expecting to water a plant with an empty water pitcher. Or trying to put on your child’s oxygen mask when the airplane cabin pressure drops, but passing out from lack of oxygen before you can get it on.
Acceptance is the hallmark of many Eastern teachings. And acceptance isn’t surrender — it’s the doorway to real, lasting change in our lives, relationships, and families.
The heart chakra is where matter and spirit meet. It marks the halfway point, with three chakras below and three above. This is a very important chakra indeed, as it’s our center of love and connection. Here you move into a greater awareness and love flows from you. You are peaceful, joyful, and compassionate. Your actions are no longer self-serving but are motivated by helping others overcome suffering.
Vulnerability isn’t timidity or weakness. Rather, it’s an acknowledgment that we are sensitive, alive, and affected emotionally by our interactions and experiences. When we are open and accessible, we are able to connect with ourselves, and we make it much easier for others to connect with us.
Even before toddlers can form a complete sentence, they’re attuned to how others may be judging them, according to a new study. The findings, which appear in Developmental Psychology, show that toddlers are sensitive to the opinions of others, and will modify their behavior accordingly when others are watching.
Children of divorce are less likely to earn a four-year or graduate degree, according to a new study. The study is one of the first to look specifically at divorce and graduate education. Susan Stewart, professor of sociology at Iowa State University, says it is important to understand this relationship as more jobs require a graduate or professional degree.
A critical step in the embrace of silence and solitude is setting aside the notion that we have to be "doing something" throughout our waking hours. For most of us, this goes against what we have been taught since childhood...
Seeing time tick down quickly on a countdown clock may give people more patience than seeing time pass slowly would. In a series of experiments, the speed of a countdown clock affected the patience and decision-making of video game players, both during and after the game, according to David Reitter, associate professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State.
As within, so without. Those four words compose one of the most powerful truths brought to mankind. What happens within is the determinant to what happens without. Carrying it one step further, in order to change our physical lives, we must look within for answers.
Many of our "life lessons" come to us through what we might usually call a "negative" experience, or possibly a "negative" person in our life. However, the addition of the term negative to any person or situation is simply a perception, or a judgment, on our part.
When I was a teenager, I began to notice that I was often aware of things that were hidden under the surface of my everyday interactions with other people. I had a strong sense of what others were feeling; I seemed to know a lot more about what was going on around me than people were telling me...
Each of us has the opportunity to accept and welcome the gift of living fully in the present. When we awaken to the eternal here and now, we feel alive, mobilized, our senses quickened. Each moment fully experienced becomes an integral part of the sculpting of our future. As we live today, we create our tomorrows.
In addition to mapping human consciousness, the Seven Levels Model can also be used as a template to describe the stages of human psychological development. Figure 1 shows the stages of psychological development and their correspondence with the seven levels of consciousness.
Anxiety disorders are some of the most common mental health problems today. In fact, four out of every 100 people around the world have one, and research my colleagues and I were involved in at the University of Cambridge has shown that women and young people under the age of 39 are most affected. Anxiety disorders reportedly cost the healthcare system and employers over US$42 billion each year in the US alone, and if left untreated or unattended, can lead to depression, substance use, and suicide.
The unconventional children’s television pioneer celebrated dignity and kindness in the age of mass media. Kids have it really hard right now. Many adults have forgotten that a world where children are safe and cared for with dignity is not a utopian vision, but a necessity.
When you dwell on frustration, the focus on negative thoughts can make daily tasks more challenging. It is not unusual to experience tension. And tension could put you into a negative state before there is real difficulty. If the suggestions offered here don’t fit your situation, use them as a starting place to do your own brainstorming. Changing the atmosphere may be a work in progress...
It can seem like our human narrative has lost its way. Where the everyday news is filled with stories of humanity struggling with itself. Our eyes can show us everything that we don't want. And the chances for hope can seem fleeting. But there is a much bigger story going on as well. And you are a player in that story too.
Picking our fingernails, eating a quart of ice cream at a single sitting, or mandatory daily vigorous exercise. Frequent prescription drug or alcohol use. Addictions are a reliance on any substance or activity that masks our emotions and provides an immediate but temporary dose of pleasure and distraction.
The New Moon arrives in Leo August 12 at 8:36 PM UTC, and with it comes a singular...
A study reveals that while many online daters strive for honesty, a notable percentage...
Mars is entering Cancer on August 12 and this shift changes how you move through...
There is a moment most of us remember — standing in front of someone we loved, arms...
Recent research explores the complex dynamics of altruistic cruelty, revealing that...
You imagined the newborn haze would be hard, but you did not quite picture yourself...
What if peace of mind depends not on remembering every hurt, but on keeping only the...
Many individuals unknowingly adopt limiting beliefs from others, which can lead to...