When the poet John Donne was struck down by a sudden infection in 1623 he immediately found himself alone – even his doctors deserted him. The experience, which only lasted a week, was intolerable. He later wrote: “As sickness is the greatest misery, so the greatest misery of sickness is solitude.”

It’s hard to believe now, but until relatively recently, solitude – or the experience of being alone for significant periods of time – was treated with a mixture of fear and respect. It tended to be restricted to enclosed religious orders and was thus a privileged experience of a male elite. Change was only set in motion by the Reformation and the Enlightenment, when the ideologies of humanism and realism took hold and solitude slowly became something that anyone could acceptably seek from time to time. Most people in the West are now used to some regular form of solitude – but the reality of lockdown is making this experience far more extreme.

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

David Vincent’s book A History of Solitude will be published by Polity on April 24.

David Vincent, Professor of Social History, The Open University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

For thousands of years it has been believed that the fortunes of men and women move in cycles. The ancients depicted the concept as the great Wheel of Fortune, eternally turning and spilling off the winners on top while bearing up the wretches beneath and giving them their time in the limelight before they, too, get dumped. The trouble was that no one knew for sure what powered that wheel or exactly what speed it was turning for any given individual. People knew their days were numbered, but they didn't know the number.

Until recently the situation hasn't improved much. For hundreds of years we have known that it is the regular and predictable cycles of the moon and sun that regulate the ocean's tides, but the tides in the affairs of humans have not been so easily forecast. It was almost as if they moved erratically of their own accord, unmotivated by outside forces.

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Dynamic Astrology: Using Planetary Cycles to Make Personal and Career Choices

This book is for those who want to move beyond a static interpretation of their natal chart to an understanding of how planetary cycles affect such things as one's career, finances, and opportunities. In an easy-to-use format, John Townley discusses the principles of dynamic astrology and shows how the cycles of the planets and important degrees in your chart play a continuing role in your life. The author explains how to analyze and synthesize all of the cycles to learn about the progress of your career; how to know who your friends and "enemies" are; and when the best times are for such things as job interviews and asking for a raise.

New, revised edition (former title: Astrological Life Cycles).

John Townley is a lifelong astrologer and author. John is also a journalist, elected member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, historian, preservationist, performer, and record producer. He can be found, camera and microphone in hand, covering events ranging from international music festivals to ocean sailing races. When he's not behind the camera and microphone, he's in front of them, performing at maritime concerts in the U.S. and across Europe. His lifetime maritime and leading-edge music and recording background (he built the first 12-track recording studio) is integrated into his approach to astrology, which is very physical, based on a scaled, tidal/waveform approach that sees planetary influences as palpable, environmental phenomena. In this view, the cycles of the planets are the ultra-deep bass and drum tracks of our existence, and we daily navigate the ever-changing ocean of their higher overtones. Visit his website at AstroCocktail.com/

As we set out on the great adventure called 2021, many of us have lots of questions about what the year will bring. When will the pandemic end? Will I be able to return to my job, or will I have to reinvent myself? Will the kids be able to get out of the house? Will I be able to go a concert, travel, or visit my relatives? Can I hug people I love, or will everyone important to me be relegated to a little square image on my computer screen?

Yet behind all of these questions is one that will more fundamentally determine our experience: “Who will I be in the year to come?”

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Alan Cohen is the author of many inspirational books including A Course in Miracles Made Easy and his new illuminating guide, The Master Keys of Healing. Become a certified holistic life coach through Alan’s life-changing training program beginning in September 2021. For information on this program and Alan’s books, videos, audios, online courses, retreats, and other inspirational events and materials, visit AlanCohen.com

We are spirits downloaded into bodies,

“God” is a loaded word. Can we use it without stirring controversy? I’ve turned it into an acronym: G.O.D. This seems to help.

G.O.D. stands for Gratitude Over Desire. Here’s what this means. As spirits downloaded into bodies, programmed to become creators, our forever challenge is to remember who we are and navigate the human world without going mad. It helps to remember that the human world itself is a madhouse, populated by amnesiacs wandering around aimlessly in search of happiness and meaning.

Some of us just dive whole heartedly into civilization, having families and careers, enjoying what we can, struggling to overcome our challenges, and generally avoiding those deeper questions. But I doubt that’s you... you wouldn’t still be reading.

Others of us retreat from the world. We meditate, we stick to a circle of like-minded friends, we do our best to resist the alluring temptations of Maya, and we judge (secretly or overtly) those manipulators running the planet for their own pleasure.

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Will Wilkinson is  a senior consultant with Luminary Communications in Ashland, Oregon. He has authored or co-authored seven previous books, conducted hundreds of interviews with leading edge change agents, and is growing an international network of visionary activists.

Find out more at willtwilkinson.com/

Health has always been a matter of great concern to me. In fact, from an early age I began to experience health problems, without having any exact notion of what had caused them. My mother was faced with difficult situations that, over many years, required care in the form of operations, various treatments and even years of hospitalization.

In my own case, since nobody seemed able to find out exactly what my illness was, a doubt appeared to constantly hover over the whole issue: I believed that these illnesses could be psychological. I then said to myself: “Either it’s ‘in my head’, or else there must be some reason for what’s happening”. I decided to go with the second choice, and that is when I began to explore whatever was causing me to experience all those ailments.

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

The Encyclopedia of Ailments and Diseases: How to Heal the Conflicted Feelings, Emotions, and Thoughts at the Root of Illness

Compiling years of research and the results of thousands of cases he encountered in his private practice and during workshops over the past 30 years, Jacques Martel explains how to read and understand the body’s language of disease and imbalance. In this encyclopedia, he shows how body language reveals specific thoughts, feelings, and emotions that are at the source of nearly 900 different ailments and diseases. This comprehensive manual offers a tool to help each of us become, to some extent, our own doctor or therapist, get to know ourselves better, and recover health and well-being physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. For practitioners and therapists, this remarkable reference tool provides invaluable insights and prompts for healing.

Jacques Martel is an internationally known therapist, trainer, and speaker. A pioneer in the field of personal development, he has created new methods and practical exercises that allow deep and permanent emotional and spiritual transformations. JHe is the founder of ATMA International Publishing, an organization committed to helping and accompanying people in their personal development and spiritual journey. He lives in Quebec, Canada.

To the intuitive mind, complexity is not a mystery, nor is it overwhelming. It’s just a different reality that requires a different set of skills and capacities—the skills and capacities that come from Whole-Mind Thinking and Whole-Being Awareness.

The key is to stay in “receptive” mode rather than fall back into “output” or “figure it out” mode. Start by asking: What is trying to get my/our attention right now? What is this situation trying to tell or show me/us? What potential is trying to emerge? What wants to happen?

I designed this tool or framework for those times when the situation or circumstance is so complex that you have no idea where to begin. “The Deep Simple” is a series of five powerful questions that can help you cut through the confusion and find a next step.

The questions are:

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Transformational Presence: How To Make a Difference In a Rapidly Changing World

Transformational Presence is an essential guide for: Visionaries who want to move beyond their vision into action; Leaders who are navigating the unknown and pioneering new territory; Individuals and Organizations committed to living into their greatest potential; Coaches, Mentors, and Educators supporting the greatest potential in others; Public servants committed to making a difference; and Anyone who wants to help create a world that works. New World, New Rules, New Approaches.

Alan Seale is an award-winning author, inspirational speaker, transformation catalyst, and founder and director of the Center for Transformational Presence. He is the creator of the Transformational Presence Leadership and Coach Training program which now has graduates from more than 35 countries. His books include Intuitive Living, Soul Mission * Life Vision, The Manifestation Wheel, The Power of Your Presence, Create a World That Works, and most recently, his two-book set, Transformational Presence: How To Make a Difference In a Rapidly Changing World. His books are currently published in English, Dutch, French, Russian, Norwegian, Romanian, and soon in Polish. Alan currently serves clients from six continents and maintains a full teaching and lecture schedule throughout the Americas and Europe. Visit his website at TransformationalPresence.org/ 

Written by Pam Younghans

Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this weekly astrological journal based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies. This column is not intended as prediction. Your own experience will be more specifically defined by transits to your personal chart.

Highlighted Aspects for This Week

​​MON: Sun sextile Chiron

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T Russell. Publisher InnerSelf

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Pam Younghans is a professional astrologer, editor, and writer. She lives in a log home northeast of Seattle, Washington with her beloved animal companions. She has been interpreting charts professionally for over 25 years. If you are interested in an astrology reading, e-mail [email protected], or leave a message at 425.445.3775. For more information about NorthPoint Astrology offerings, please visit northpointastrology.com or visit her Facebook page.

I’d just conducted a performance of the Broadway musical Hamilton in San Francisco in 2017 when I experienced a heart attack on my way home. Tests proved that my right coronary artery was 90% blocked, and two stents were placed to get me on the road to recovery.

I was 43 years old.

Work with a psychologist would later identify stress as the main cause of the attack. It would also uncover perfectionism as its silent partner. My own endless demands (and dubious lifestyle choices) driven by my bullying inner critic and fear of professional failure had finally taken their toll.

Thankfully, I’d cleaned up my lifestyle several years earlier, but I needed a different approach to my work, one that would enable me to find a healthier balance between my perfectionism and the incredibly high standards that came with being the music director of the world’s most popular musical!

My psychologist introduced me to self-compassion, a proven technique that moderates the link between perfectionism and depression and helps perfectionists manage their traits in healthier ways. It proved to be a game changer.

Here’s what I learned:

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T Russell. Publisher InnerSelf

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

JULIAN REEVE is a former music director of the Broadway musical Hamilton turned perfectionism contributor, and speaker.

He recently published his first book, Captain Perfection & the Secret of Self-Compassion, a self-help book for young perfectionists that empowers children to develop healthy management techniques for their maladaptive perfectionism through self-compassion.

In the great ancient civilizations, not the eye, but the ear was considered our noblest sense. “The ear is the way” it says in the Upanishads, the registry of Indian wisdom.  -- E. Berendt

Sound is always present. Something audible is continuously happening all around us. We constantly hear, whether or not we like it. The ear cannot close naturally; it has no lid, no muscle, no reflex that could consciously create a barrier between our acoustic perception and the outside world. We listen to sounds from the start of life and for the duration of our entire life.

All around us is an often unnoticed acoustic cosmos that is constantly re-creating itself, expressing and communicating all the evolutionary processes in a buzzing and resonant way. The entire universe is filled with sounds, waves, and vibrations. Astronomers can measure cosmic background noise coming from all directions.

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T Russell. Publisher InnerSelf

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Restore Hearing Naturally: How to Use Your Inner Resources to Bring Back Full Hearing

Through hearing we are connected with everything that surrounds us. Yet millions of people, young and old, suffer from hearing loss, which disrupts this special connection not only with our surroundings but also with our friends, loved ones, and coworkers. As Anton Stucki reveals, onset hearing loss as well as other conditions of the ear canal, such as tinnitus, industrial hearing loss, and vertigo, are not part of our normal physiological aging process. The brain is naturally able to compensate for hearing loss, even in situations with loud background noise, yet as we age, we often lose this adaptive ability.

About the Author

Anton Stucki is an audio expert, well known in Germany for his hearing recovery system. For over 10 years he has helped thousands of people restore their hearing and has trained medical practitioners and therapists to use his system. He lives in Brandenburg, Germany.

Where will we be in six months, a year, ten years from now? I lie awake at night wondering what the future holds for my loved ones. My vulnerable friends and relatives. I wonder what will happen to my job, even though I’m luckier than many: I get good sick pay and can work remotely. I am writing this from the UK, where I still have self-employed friends who are staring down the barrel of months without pay, friends who have already lost jobs. The contract that pays 80% of my salary runs out in December. Coronavirus is hitting the economy bad. Will anyone be hiring when I need work?

There are a number of possible futures, all dependent on how governments and society respond to coronavirus and its economic aftermath. Hopefully we will use this crisis to rebuild, produce something better and more humane. But we may slide into something worse.

Continue Reading At InnerSelf.com

Read by Marie T Russell. Publisher InnerSelf

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

Simon Mair is a Lecturer in Circular Economy at the University of Bradford. He previously taught Salford University, and was a research fellow at the University of Surrey. He holds a PhD in Ecological Economics from the University of Surrey (UK), an MA in Environmental Management and a BSc in Environmental Science both from the University of Lancaster (UK).

Simon is also UK country contact for the European Society for Ecological Economics (ESEE).

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.