3 Card Reading

King of Wands (R)

You find yourself frustrated over your lack of achievement which has resulted from your excessive changeability. You are using psychological armor and defenses - afraid to reveal your true self and your real feelings. Take your time in any upcoming agreement before making your final decision. Prepare your mind for change - your lifestyle can be altered now, as changes occur that may turn the tide of affairs. You will experience a strong focus and directional clarity. You have become disturbed by a situation which has had a bad influence on you - your qualities have been altered as your natural energy has encountered obstacles and defeats.

You have not lost your force - these experiences have helped you become tempered and more understanding of others. You can now easily recognize the people who are inclined to be intolerant and strict in their manner - the people who could be opposing you. Remain receptive to indications of a disagreement or dispute and be the first to withdraw. Acknowledge when you are feeling uneasy and be sure that all the facts are correct. Accept that you need never allow anyone to be overly aggressive with you. You may now face the dynamic part of your "inner" assertive nature - allow yourself to "feel" your determination and apply your inspired vision without holding back in any way.
Questions to Answer: How are you expressing your sense of self? How are you using your decision-making and leadership abilities? Who is controlling the situation? Who do you admire for their sense of self?

Strength

LOVE is the source of your strength - the "energy" of your unconscious "tamed" and released by the direction of your conscious understanding - harnessing your natural energy so that you work in harmony with it. Your "inner" qualities represent love, patience and gentleness - they are always superior to the material powers of force and hate, for they provide you with the "inner" strength to confront yourself calmly and without fear. Choose to use the love you feel within - believe that the process of self-discovery is a joyous one. Control your own emotions - look directly at any obstacle and see if it is real.

Strength is "total" living - living with the undiluted multiplicity of your being. Combining your capacity to destroy with your power to regenerate and heal. Taming your powers and drives by finding the "inner" power that gives you your strength. Affirm all your individual qualities - be sensitive to what you are feeling every moment.

Wanting to control your life - your "ego" conscious suppresses your feelings, fears and desires which creates confusion. In order to realize satisfaction and joy - success requires organization. Your "inner" strength allows your passions to emerge - releasing your deepest emotions with love and faith, for this is the first step in going beyond the "ego" and opening up your personality with a sense of peace, love of life itself and a great confidence in the final result. It requires a great deal of courage as well as strength - for you must control and direct the energy rather than allowing it to take you wherever it wants to go.

Free yourself from the forces of repression - "doubt" reduces thought to indecision and it appears when the Higher Self and the physical "ego" self are not in balance. "Certainty" allows you to doubt "within limits" while still maintaining faith in the expected outcome. You will begin to understand others if you will take the time to imagine yourself in their place. You have the ability to face life - particularly this difficult problem or change - with hope and eagerness. You are strong within - allow yourself to experience life passionately, yet peacefully - without being controlled or carried away by your passions. Joy as you feel the "inner" strength to begin this new project or continue a difficult project - despite your fear and emotional strain. Find the place where you can make a statement and get your idea across - leave a lasting impression.

Your subconscious mind controls your body and its functions - you receive, then act upon the suggestions sent from your conscious mind. Choose to cultivate your desires and you set up a chain reaction which will eventually produce tangible results. Power, strength, discipline, intelligence, justice, karma, respect and unity are all possible when you act powerfully, but with a sense of "inner" calm. Your "inner" resources will always overcome any adversity as the love in your heart unites with your spirit, heart and body and produces harmonious action.

New - Here is the eighth stop. Properly channeled and controlled emotions. You are on solid ground, centered. Strong self-image and self-respect. Confidence. There are extensions of self in place and functioning, i.e. family/extended family and creative projects. A feeling of invincibility. An emotional sense of the eternal, of permanence, Loyalty, Constancy without stagnation. A harnessing of our lower energies to support/generate higher energies. Here is the source of courage, the assumption of responsibility for one's own existence, hence emotional independence. The feeling of duality is strong but the self is in harmony with all extensions of the self, and with nature.

Your heart has begun to know things for itself, with the help, but independent, of mind. (The hypothalamus is that aspect of mind, of reason, belonging to the heart.) Here ideas are generated in the gut, the Solar Plexus, before reason and perspective of higher mind get a crack at them. Conversely however, it is proper to say that this is the effect of mind in the emotions. We see here that true strength lies in our hearts, in our emotional stability.

Questions to Answer: How strong is your love? How are you being called upon to show courage and perseverance? What do you desire to create? What inner passion needs to be expressed? What inner passion needs to be reconciled? What is the "natural" or instinctive thing to do?

Temperance

It is time for you to apply what you have learned - see what you have mastered - you are an artist in all phases of your life. Try new things now, while at the same time - maintaining a solid hold on your present security. Allow yourself to experience "profound" meditation - use your "inner" resources - for they are your invitation to the possibilities of spiritual knowledge and realization.

Your Higher Self will always warn, inform and help you appreciate an experience - while never suppressing temptation itself - for without temptation, there can be no spiritual progress. That is why it is so important for you to maintain balance right now. Trust that your patience will build your dreams. Focus all your energy on maintaining harmony between the material and the spiritual. Take it easy and don't rush things - do not give up your security - you need more time before making any major decisions.

You are experiencing your ability to heal yourself by correcting the imbalances and reconciling the difficulties in the environment through compassion. Truth will be realized from within as you unite your human endeavor with the gift of Gods grace. Your lessons are learned through your experiences. Balance is essential now - use diplomacy, tact and temper your emotions when your strength is being tested. As you give birth to new beliefs from the death of old ones - you experience new freedoms which require re-adjustments in your behavior. With freedom comes the responsibility for your actions and the birth of "natural guilt" - the creative mechanism for solving problems and preventing violence. You learn to resolve your dilemmas and assimilate your beliefs by seeing mistakes as information and problems as challenges. A balance of rights is achieved through your compassionate identification with others and the communication of your emotions and aggressive feelings.
Vision and inspiration are the means of arriving at intuition. Authentic inspiration always entails an "inner" upheaval which pierces the soul like an arrow - wounding it and making it experience "profound" emotion which is the synthesis of joy and sorrow. Inspiration is the knowledge of how to be active and passive at the same time. Active - in what concerns your "question" and passive - in what concerns the "answer". Humility alone - honoring the vows of poverty, obedience and love renders you open to "inspiration". Say to yourself that you know nothing - but are capable of knowing everything and in this position of humility -immerse yourself in the pure, strengthening element of "thinking together" or inspiration.

Free yourself from this artificial personality - your behavior and reactions have become a string of habits. Begin to combine your spontaneity with knowledge, moderation and self control. You need never go to extremes - begin to develop a true and proper response to all situations "as they arise". Separation develops from your inability to take life as it comes - moment by moment - combining the elements of your personality, so that they work in harmony with the outer world and flow together naturally. You withdrew from the world to find your "inner" Self. The time has come for you to return to the normal activities of life and involvement with the outer world. The energy of your unconscious, which was once displayed as the "sexuality" of your undeveloped personality - has been transformed and channeled through your awareness to become spirituality. Your "strength" has become energy and the process will be complete once the two combine. Allow yourself to experience the death of your "old" patterns, for they do not reflect the truth and joy of life. You do not need to preform miracles to KNOW your connection with the universe - you need only be yourself. Become the master of your fate - learn correct action - doing the correct thing in whatever situation arises, dealing with life as it comes - not according to your old routines or habits of defense. Communicate the abundance of your feelings in compassionate and nurturing ways and this balanced blend of activities and feelings - once achieved, will produce the sense of harmony and peace that you seek.
Here is the fourteenth stop on your journey, where you begin to appreciate the lessons of the higher emotions. This is a mature emotional constitution, where consideration for self and others strive to balance. This is Stage Four and the effect of higher mind on the Emotional Plane guides us to thoughtful behavior. Recognition and practice of both give and take in equal proportion, even as the opening of the heart chakra has elevated the emotions to the higher level wherein compassion transforms us into willing givers moving happily toward universal love. Temperance is the exercise of emotional balance horizontally in the earth plane, to generate movement vertically from below to above. Here is authentic expression and a higher understanding of your passionatc nature, which must grow even as you become more compassionate.

Questions to Answer: What are you feeling optimistic about? How are you combining the resources available to you? What are you testing or trying out? What needs to be healed or brought into balance

Daria Werbowy//Equipment

Watch this on The Scene

Blue Moon//Full Moon//Aquarius//July 31

“You are experiencing new aspects of yourself. You are giving birth to the new you. Giving birth is painful. This is real work. This is real growth. The more you love and value yourself. The more you have to give to other people…”

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Pharrell Williams/It Girl

8 Things Mentally Strong People Do Every Single Day

Just like people aren't born with physical strength, no one is blessed with incredible mental strength at birth. Instead, mental strength is developed over time by individuals who choose to make personal development a priority.

In addition to avoiding the things that could hold them back, mentally strong people create healthy habits that assist them in growing stronger. Here are eight things mentally strong people do every day to strengthen their mental muscles:

1) They Use their Mental Energy Wisely

It’s easy to get distracted throughout the day by a variety of unimportant and unproductive tasks. Mentally strong people choose to use their time and energy carefully. They devote their efforts to the things that matter most so they can accomplish their goals.

2) They Reframe Their Negative Thoughts

Everyone has negative thoughts sometimes, but mentally strong people don't let those thoughts hold them back or drag them down. Instead, they respond to their pessimistic predictions and harsh criticisms with a more productive inner dialogue. They stay motivated to do their best by talking to themselves like a trusted friend or a helpful coach.

3) They Work Toward Established Goals

Mentally strong people establish clear personal and professional goals that give them meaning and purpose. They forgo immediate gratification by keeping their long-term goals in mind. They view obstacles as challenges, rather than roadblocks to their success.

4) They Reflect on Their Progress

Mentally strong people reflect on their progress toward their goals every day. They set aside time to examine what they're doing well, and they humbly acknowledge areas that need improvement. They hold themselves accountable for mistakes and they constantly strive to grow better.

5) They Tolerate Discomfort for a Greater Purpose

While some people go to great lengths to avoid any type of distress, others endure pain simply to prove they're tough. Mentally strong people, however, tolerate discomfort when it serves a greater purpose. Whether they're exercising when they feel tired, or they're delivering a speech when they feel terrified, they use their pain to become better.

6) They Practice Gratitude

You can't be at your best if you're insisting you deserve better. Mentally strong people acknowledge they already have everything they need. They recognize their good fortune and express gratitude for all things big and small.

7) They Balance Emotions with Logic

Mentally strong people know their feelings play a major role in their perceptions and their behavior. They pay close attention to the ways their emotions could influence their judgement. They carefully balance their emotions with logic so they can make the best possible decisions.

8) They Live According to their Values

Although it may be tempting to measure your self-worth by comparing yourself to your competition, mentally strong people don’t fall prey to such distractions. They focus on living according to their values and doing their best, despite their circumstances. At the end of the day they don’t ask themselves, “Did I beat everyone else?” Instead, they ask, “Did I stay true to my values?”

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MarinaAndTheDiamonds//Happy

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