by Cynthia Bischoff | Dec 7, 2013 | Heartliving
The holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate and to connect with family and friends. Yet this is also a time when your balance of body, mind, and spirit can be greatly affected because of changes in routine, extra duties, and feelings triggered by old memories.
Here are a few suggestions toward keeping your life together this holiday season:
Make a list to stay organized. Write down things you’d like to accomplish and then create a prioritized approach. Would you like to give neighbors homemade baked gingerbread? Of course you would. Is there really time to do this in your schedule this year? Just be sure you have enough time or are simply realistic in regard to your energy as well.
Ask for assistance. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by certain tasks that have to be performed, be sure to ask others to pitch in. For example, holiday meals can be pot luck. Young children can help by doing activities that are easier, like dusting, vacuuming, or helping with a pet. You can ask a neighborhood teen babysitter to take your kids to a matinee so that you can complete certain holiday preparations.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. De-emphasize the idea that everything has to be perfect! Set realistic expectations for yourself. We are bombarded by magazine images showing gorgeous decorations and incredible meals. Remind yourself that a staff of people both designed and prepared those glossy stories! Sometimes “more is less” and simple ideas can be very heart-felt, even more heart-felt than elaborate ideas.
Stay connected with others for support. Take a break from your holiday routine by meeting up with or calling a friend to chat briefly. Letting out your feelings to a supportive friend can greatly help you relieve holiday stress and anxiety. This can be great for both of you. Also, if you are feeling lonely or suspect that you will be, set up a way to stay connected and supported.
Do what you need to do to restore yourself. Don’t leave off your list a healthy walk or simple exercise or a nice healthy meal. Even a moment or two of quiet can be helpful–listen to a meditation tape or a favorite CD, practice yoga poses, or take a relaxing bath.
Hold a witness perspective if an issue arises. It helps if I remind myself that the things I was concerned about last year, the year before, or the years before that (!), I no longer remember. Most often we don’t. Do you? So take a deep breath, fast-forward to your 85th birthday, and ask yourself, “Will I even remember this issue then?” Probably not. So enjoy the good things and let go of the rest!
Have a wonderful holiday and a new year of blessings. With love and gratitude, Cynthia
by Cynthia Bischoff | Nov 16, 2013 | Heartliving
The belief that God sends a spirit to watch over every individual was common in ancient Greek philosophy. In the Middle Ages it was believed that the heavens and the stars and all of the cosmos were alive, full of angels and God. In numerous faiths, angels are mentioned. The word “angel” is derived from the Latin “angelus” and the Greek “angelos” meaning “one going” or “one sent,” also “messenger.”
Since the beginning of time, angels have delivered God’s messages to humankind. From a spiritual, academic standpoint, angelic messages were primarily intended to provide:
- warnings of impending danger
- instructions as to what to do in a particular situation
- information that angels are there to protect
- joyful announcements.
In metaphysics, angels are said to have great power and long to be made use of, desiring us to call on them to request assistance. So in addition to requesting assistance from the angels, how might we know signs from them?
Signs that the angels are drawing close or making contact are said to include:
- unexpected, intuitive knowledge that comes to you
- an instant feeling of well being or love
- a warmth in your heart
- a movement of energy like a “breeze of light”
- a fragrance in the air like a presence
- soft strands of music that may linger as if floating in the distance
- a movement of material or physical matter (something is missing and then found)
- appearance in the clouds of an image
- the sound of birdsong
- a dream in which an important feeling or message is given.
According to those who study angelic phenomenon and history, the most angelic signature of an angel, however, is the white feather!
by Cynthia Bischoff | Nov 9, 2013 | Heartliving
While a healthy diet and adequate rest are beneficial in building your immune system, a number of natural ingredients can help you prevent or heal a cold should you get one. I learned these ideas in trainings I have taken in healing and health. Here are a few tips:
- Get plenty of zinc in your diet (most often found in whole grains).
- Pack your meals with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (for example, citrus fruits and vegetables).
- Remember that caffeine is dehydrating, so if you are losing body fluids as a result of a cold, choose herbal, caffeine-free teas.
- Drink fresh fruit juices. Grapefruit, orange, and lemon juices are antiseptic and cleansing.
- Eat soups, and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.
- Inhaling the smell of eucalyptus can soothe your respiratory system.
- Adding garlic to your diet increases antibacterial action and builds your immune system to fight infection.
- Honey can relieve sore throats and coughs.
- Ginger made into tea is considered both an antiseptic and expectorant.
- Echinacea and olive leaf can strengthen the immune system and shorten the bout of flu or cold.
- Remember if at all possible to reduce your stress and to get enough sleep since it boosts your immune systems and allows you time to heal.
Here’s to your excellent health!
by Cynthia Bischoff | Nov 2, 2013 | Heartliving
The world abounds with symbols. Some are universal and others unique to certain cultures. Symbols are profound expressions of our intellect, emotions, and spirit. A symbol can represent deep intuitive wisdom that eludes direct expression, and symbols can be found in our dreams certainly, but also in our waking state. It is helpful to observe the symbols in your life in your waking day, allowing the universe to speak to you through its symbolic language.
Throughout the centuries, symbols in their infinite forms have enriched people’s lives. Cultures in all parts of the world have built upon a universal understanding of symbols to better understand well-being of mind, body, and spirit. Often in deep spiritual work, we are asked to identify and focus on symbols that appear in our dreams and in our waking lives. These symbols may, for example, appear in our drawings and over time become highly personalized, take on deeper levels of meaning, and come to help us express aspects of the psyche that may be difficult to put into words.
We find symbols in our daily life and in our dreams. Here are some common examples defined:
Did you know?
THE RIVER
Seen as a life-source, rivers carry potent meanings. They can represent the boundaries between life and death. In Hindu belief, rivers symbolize purification.
ICE AND SNOW
Ice symbolizes coldness, rigidity, and stillness, both in humans and in nature. Therefore, snow as a form of “softer” ice often expresses the return of life. Snow can stand for truth and individuality.
MOUNTAIN
The meeting place of heaven and earth, the mountain symbolizes eternity and our ascent on our life’s journey.
FIRE
Symbolizing passion and energy, fire can represent deep emotion, such as love, or alchemical transformation.
TREE
Wholeness, harmony, and family are reflected in the tree image.
CAVE
When a cave is found in a dream state, it may mean that this is a time of initiation, truth, wisdom, or readiness for going deeper.
DOORWAY or WINDOW
Is the door or window open or closed? Doorways and windows symbolize opportunity, opening, luck, and progress. Have you heard the phrase–“a window of opportunity” or “the door to success”?
Pay attention to the symbols that occur in your dream state and also in your daily life. Record patterns, spend some time journaling, and meditate on their significance as messengers in your life right now!
by Cynthia Bischoff | Oct 26, 2013 | Heartliving
Self-esteem can be seen as the combination of how you perceive yourself and the value you place on the self you see.
You have core self-esteem which is the value you place on yourself at your core, and situational self-esteem which is the value you place on yourself determined by situational factors (work situation at the moment, weight at the moment).
Certain researchers say that core self-esteem is in place by age 4 and is determined by how your caregivers responded to you. No matter what, it is exciting to know that your core self-esteem can be improved. How?
- If you suffer from any thoughts of being a victim, expand your awareness so that you are able to decide that victim consciousness or self-blame is simply toxic now. Let it go.
- Make a nonjudgmental inventory of your talents and strengths and set goals for accepting them and continuing to improve yourself.
- Stop neglecting your own needs to take care of others. Be compassionate and loving, but not disrespecting of yourself.
- Do your very best at any given moment (it will vary depending upon what your circumstances are).
- Remember that positive self-esteem is not created by “all or none” thinking. Allow yourself to risk-take and realize that even seeming “mistakes” can help you grow!
- Let go of the cultural standards of beauty and FEEL your beauty from WITHIN. Offer that as a gift to yourself and everyone around you. People are drawn to others who feel good about themselves.
- Learn to speak about yourself with directness and honesty. Express your integrity through the harmony of what you say and do.
Above all, celebrate your risk-taking and your successes!
