Life Analogies

Often, I hear people around me complaining about their wishes not coming true.  They have 'sent' their wish list to the Universe and eagerly await for the results to deliver.  Besides the fact that the wish may not be for the highest good, there are other factors to consider.

While listening to Doreen Virtue's radio show last week, I picked up some useful analogies which I want to share them with everyone here.

Telling the Universe what you wish for is like sending a letter.  You must letter go of the letter in order for it to be delivered to its designated recipient.  If you hold onto the letter (i.e. not letting go), then the letter won't get delivered.

Communicating your wishes with the Universe is also liken to ordering in a restaurant.  You make your order then sit back and relax while you wait for your food.  You do not give your order to the waiter, then march into the kitchen to tell the chef how you want your food cooked exactly.  Just like you do not tell the Universe in specific details how you want your wish to be granted, perhaps a few general criteria could be helpful, e.g. for the highest good, to feel happy, so in the restaurant analogy, it would be like requesting to have your steak served medium/rare/well done.

Give the Universe time to set your wishes in place.  Your wish may involve another person, and unless that individual is ready, the wish cannot be fulfilled.  Divine timing is the key.  Having patience is another important factor - I'm the worst person to preach this being such an impatient soul!  But this is like gardening, where the seed has germinated in the soil but our eyes cannot detect this minute growth.  I remember back in primary school, everyone in my class was given a seed by our teacher.  She told us to get a pot, water it as necessary and bring it to school in a few weeks to see how everyone had done.  Being impatient, I dug up the seed everyday to check its growth!  Needless to say, my seed did not germinate at all because I was not able to let it do its own growing.  We simply need to have the patience to wait for the shoot to push through the soil and into the light.

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Coco Before Chanel

I find it rather amazing that the same stimulus could elicit a myriad of responses in different individuals.

You and I may smell the aroma emanating from the wooden furniture in our bedroom or the woods by our house and thought nothing much of it.  Perhaps we would feel relaxed to breathe in those scents? But who would have thought to capture and transfer that smell to a perfume bottle?  That was one of the interesting facts I acquired from my recent invite to a perfume exhibition courtesy of Chanel.

Being an astrologer, I couldn't help but wonder the astrological factors possessed by Coco Chanel.

Using my Solar Fire Gold program, I discovered that Chanel was a Leo with a Pisces Moon and Sagittarius rising.  This interesting fire-water mixture is likely to create an individual with an urge to express one's individuality and put oneself under the spotlight (one of her quotes being 'In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.').  Life is like one big adventure, waiting for brave souls to explore ('Success is often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable').  There is a conflict between asserting one's identity and striving for personal recognition, and wanting to be gentle, feminine and selfless.  Her Sun conjunct Venus is also another factor which allowed her to stitch her name into the bible of fashion.

Liberating women from tight corsets by introducing 'comfort' into garments for ladies, Chanel made her mark with her signature 'little black dress' and 'Chanel suit', bringing out beauty without discomforts.  Being the first perfume to bear the name of the designer, the olfactory creation 'Chanel No. 5' perfume endowed Chanel with timeless fame.  These achievements certainly had satisfied her Leo Sun.  Her Pisces Moon could also be glimpsed by the fact that her textile products allowed women to show-off their femininity without physical discomfort and restriction.

Chanel remained unmarried in her 87 years of mortal life but had numerous affairs with influential and powerful men (Sun conjunct Venus in Leo in 8th; Jupiter in 7th).  When asked why she did not marry the Duke of Westminster, her replied was 'There have been several Duchesses of Westminster, but there is only one Chanel!'  

Be the Change

My recent trip to my local hair salon endowed me with an entertaining concept.

Six months ago, I finally had the urge to invest time and money on revamping my appearance (not the permanent kind!).  I changed my wardrobe and even attended make-up classes.  On consulting my chart, I discovered that my first make-up class coincided with transiting Mars conjunct my Ascendant in Leo.  So I expended energy on 'me', in particular, my appearance.  I also spent a lot of my time exercising to tone up my body (the first house rules our physical body and appearance).  With Mars in retrograde, the effect of my egocentric focus was prolonged  (and currently still in effect). 

Practice makes perfect.  As a student, I focused my entire energy on my academic work, therefore, I was less than a novice when it came to beautifying myself.  Being an all or none person, I decided to speed up my learning process by giving myself plenty of opportunity to practice by waking up an hour early every morning to put on make-up (this 'mask' is also a first house symbol!).  My current work colleagues noticed the change and some of them disapproved of me wasting my time on 'painting' my mask.  Instead, I was advised to spend that time in bed.  'Who are you trying to please anyway?'  

'Me,' was my reply, come to think of it, that is also a first house concept! Not to mention very Leo too.  I explained that I did not like what I saw in the mirror and besides, I just felt the urge to do it.  It felt right.  I have learned long ago to follow my heart.

I shared this with my hairstylist.  The first thing he said to me was 'Don't let your environment influence you.  Be the one to influence your environment.'  He then shared a psychological experiment involving the placement of an expensive car in a deprived area of New York and in a more affluent residential area.  The car was completely taken-apart in the former setting but was left unscathed in the latter.  The psychologists then repeated the experiment by replacing the cars with a cracked window.  The same outcome occurred in the former case, i.e. dismantlement of the vehicle.  However, in the latter case, having a crack in one of its windows caused a different result - the car was disassembled as well.  This simple experiment illustrates that one can influence one's surroundings.  You can be that change.  My hairstylist commented that instead of listening to my colleague and be affected by her advice, I should continue to do what I do and begin to notice changes in them instead.  Thinking back though, I think they also played a part in changing me - I remember feeling like a rag initially, so perhaps I was affected by my environment after all?

Happy Easter

It is too easy to forget the true meaning of Easter, hidden behind all those chocolate eggs and fluffy white bunnies.  In the Christian faith, Jesus died on the cross for all us sinners.  His resurrection three days later symbolises hope and rebirth.  Perhaps after indulging in all the goodies, we could spend a moment to ponder on things we could release/give up, just like Jesus had given up his mortal life for us.  Life is cyclical, as one door closes, another opens, what do you need to welcome into your life?

Bad Astrology

I remember over a decade ago, a friend of mine received a complimentary astrology report which brought tears to her eyes.  She claimed that the recount on her childhood was spot-on.  She even contemplated on ordering the extended version, which required a fee.  Curiosity got the better of me and I requested my own free report.  After reading it though, I regrettably informed my friend that it was identical to hers and it certainly didn't bring tears to my eyes.  

It's such a shame that there are unscrupulous astrologers giving astrology a bad name.  

http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Bad_astrology

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Caterpillar & Tadpole

The other day, a colleague of mine shared an entertaining story she had read from a children's picture book:

Once upon a time, there was a tadpole that was in love with a caterpillar.  They were practically joined at the hip.  All was well until one day, Caterpillar vanished from the face of the earth.   Tadpole was heartbroken.  Unbeknown to Tadpole, Caterpillar had hidden herself away in a cocoon.  Tadpole focused so intently on searching for his love that he was unaware of the physical changes occurring to his body - the gradual disappearance of his tail and the growth of limbs.  

Eventually, a beautiful butterfly pushed her way out of the cocoon and soared into the air.  She had not forgotten about her great love.  She flew around the forest, asking all creatures great and small if they had seen her Tadpole.  


'No,' came the answer.  Feeling distraught, she continued on her quest and encountered a frog.  

'Excuse me Mr Frog, I'm looking for my...'  Butterfly did not get the chance to finish her question as the frog captured the butterfly with his extended tongue and swallowed her.

I laughed when I heard the ending.  But then, I had a thought.  Essentially, Tadpole and Caterpillar's love for one another had not diminished.  The only obstacle was their transformed external shells.

What about us?  Would we get so caught up with external appearances that we fail we recognise our soulmate?


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Being a Lightworker

Becoming good friends with a fellow reiki practitioner in Hong Kong was a miracle to me.  However, we all have our destined paths to follow.  My newly-found soul sister soon returned to her home country with her husband.  I was gutted when I first heard about her decision - I am a human being after all.  As a believer of positive affirmations and a fan of 'The Secret', I began to send out my cosmic order for more spiritual friends to enter my life.  

With Mercury and Mars in retrograde at various times during the past few months, I've had my emotional ups and downs.  I originally attributed them to the fact that I had too much time on my hands during the major breaks (e.g. Christmas and mid-term) to feel sorry for myself.  But then, even as I resumed my usual work routine, I felt something was amiss.  A few individuals around me noticed this change and invited me along to meet their friends as a way of expanding my social circle.  As grateful as I was to their kindness, I still felt something just wasn't right.  I couldn't explain it at all.  I knew meeting these people may even exacerbate the situation so  I declined their offers.  I knew I was happy with my work, that for once, I am in the right place doing the right thing.  It wasn't until I finally met another spiritual soul with similar interests to me that I realised what was missing in my life - a circle of friends in my vicinity to really share my spiritual beliefs with.  I don't just want to 'preach' but to really discuss and appreciate the teachings with like-minded individuals, and to provide support for one another.   The heaviness in my heart finally lifted and the spark within me re-ignited.  I feel this is another 'booster shot' to my belief system; that however strange and unacceptable my New Age beliefs may appear to other people, I am to stand by those teachings because I am a lightworker and nothing will change that.