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Our experiences are simply what we choose to perceive them as.
A traveler came upon an old farmer hoeing in his field beside the road. Eager to rest his feet, the wanderer hailed the countryman, who seemed happy enough to straighten his back and talk for a moment. “What sort of people live in the next town?” asked the stranger. “What were the people like where you’ve come from?” replied the farmer, answering the question with another question. “They were a bad lot. Troublemakers all, and lazy too. The most selfish people in the world, and not a one of them to be trusted. I’m happy to be leaving the scoundrels.” “Is that so?” replied the old farmer. “Well, I’m afraid that you’ll find the same sort in the next town. Disappointed, the traveler trudged on his way, and the farmer returned to his work. Some time later another stranger, coming from the same direction, hailed the farmer, and they stopped to talk. “What sort of people live in the next town?” he asked. “What were the people like where you’ve come from?” replied the farmer once again. “They were the best people in the world. Hard working, honest, and friendly. I’m sorry to be leaving them.” “Fear not,” said the farmer. “You’ll find the same sort in the next town.”  Not everyone is for you. Not everyone will understand the vision and see the journey as one that is necessary.
Not everyone is going to be a part of the climb. Some souls like to watch, others may cheer, some may make sure you have water or a bed to rest in, and some will climb with you till the very end. Then there are those who refuse to join in the process and will hold you back as long as they can. It may be for jealousy or it may be for fear of losing you, maybe it terrifies them- the reason us there own. Just know your circle is everything. Choose those who encourage not discourage. ~Will "Story" Rivera #LiveBelieveInspire www.LiveBelieveInspire.com The Cracked Pot
An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course , the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."  Lesson: To resolve personal karmic patterns which helps heal the collective Pisces evokes the archetypal wise woman, the inner grandmother who guide us unseen through our trials & tribulations. If we are wise we remember to ask for their assistance & attune to her & the celestial grandmothers for guidance. Our strength during a Pisces transit lies in our ability to surrender & ask for divine intervention. For it is a universal law that we each have free will, so in order to receive help we must first ask or assistance is considered an imposition. So if you’ve been challenged in the lead up to this new moon, remember you don’t need to suffer by trying to solve your challenge alone. Surrender your burden to avail the help of your guides, ancestors & the benevolent universe. Get off the Merry-Go-Round of Past Conditions Pisces is the final sign in the zodiac wheel also known as the Wheel of Fate. Pisces transits ask us to review our lives & identify the patterns so we can make different choices & spiral up to a new set of circumstances rather than life being constant repetition like Groundhog Day. This new moon occurs in the final degrees of the last sign! So you may find you revisit some past lessons (even reconnect with people from your past) as a form of revision to see if you’ve really learned your lesson & are ready to move into a chapter that reflects a greater level of understanding. That means being willing to surrender that which you cannot change or fix according to your ego’s will. Time to Confront Your Greatest Wound!
So if things get really intense in the lead up to this new moon – be careful not to curse your fate, as such an act will destine you to more of the same. Instead, bless the opportunity to experience yourself as patient, kind, understanding, wise or compassionate in the face of cruelty, injustice & hurt. This is the ultimate lesson of Pisces! When someone treats you badly, do not cast yourself as the victim / martyr or you will reap what you sew. Pisces increases our subtle perceptions & our ability to read the signs to navigate the mystery of life. So this is a time to attune to our intuition & follow our subtle impressions more than ever! And if we feel slighted by another, retrace your experience to identify if flags were raised by your intuition as the lesson to be learned. This is why the 3 wise women known as ‘The Fates’ were shown as aspects of our psyche reminding us to consider the past, present & future with all we say & do. If we don’t want to re-live our past, we need to be centered in our wisest self in the present moment so we don’t repeat the past by speaking negative expectations & assumptions that will shape our future…but we also need to review our past to develop our wisdom. So this new moon be very mindful of blessing any crises / opportunities that present, as a reminder that you have choice at every crossroads…everything depends on how you respond. With Chiron, the planetoid within a couple of degrees of the new moon also in Pisces, prepare to confront your greatest wound this new moon if you haven’t already this month as the sun illuminated this as it moved through Pisces. With Uranus also in Pisces, the opportunity to heal the wound may come from a completely unexpected place & grant you the opportunity for sudden resolution. Are You a Pro Active Creator or A Reactive Creator?What is the most important factor in determining the outcome of your life?
Is it your family background or parental influence that is shaping your life, molding your conduct and ultimately determining who you are turning out to be? Or is it your educational and academic experiences that are determining this result? Is it how “street smart” you are that is defining your success in life? Could it be the genes you were born with or your physical characteristics? Maybe it’s simply a matter of luck that is framing the person you are becoming and what you are accomplishing with your life. Certainly, many of these factors have had an influence on your life. Without question, they can be important as far as your life’s ultimate destination is concerned. However, there is one thing that is playing the primary role in determining the outcome of your life. What is it? In spite of the importance of this question, many of us don’t give much serious thought to the answer. We just go with the flow and let our lives work out in their own way. Granted, it’s much easier to just let life happen and not be personally responsible for the actual results. However, life doesn’t just happen. Instead,our lives are defined by the choices we make. Some of these choices are ours, and some choices are made by other people, and we just accept those decisions and follow along. Stop and think about it… You, or someone around you, chooses what the next thought, the next comment or activity will be. Whether you elect to let someone make these choices for you – or you make the choices yourself – you develop as an individual according to the choices that guide or influence your life. Other Factors Become Less Important Over Time But, you say…don’t our general circumstances have a lot to do with it? Granted, we came into this world with pre-existing conditions: where we were born, the color of our skin, our basic physical characteristics and the guidance we received in early childhood. These are all factors that helped to form us in some way. Beyond our very early years, it is our personal choices that determine how we treat other people, the level of education we attain, who we marry, what we do in our career and what we ultimately achieve with our lives. It is so important to understand that we are all making choices all the time, even when we chose not to choose we have still made a choice. It is our choices that determine our experiences. The choices we are making today will show up in our experiences in the future. Unless we are willing to take full responsibility for ourselves and the choices we make, we have no control over our lives. We have been given all the power to create our experiences through our choices, but if we believe that outside forces are responsible for our choices we give away all the power we have. Sometimes making the right choice or even knowing how to choose is very difficult, but it is vitally important to understand that you are in charge of your own life if you chose to think for yourself. If you chose not to take charge, you will experience the consequences of that choice, and simply be blown about by life like a leaf in the wind. We can choose to to be a pro active creator or a reactive creator. Either way the choice is always ours.  You are not your weight, your height, your eyes or your thighs. You are not the color of your hair or the clothes you choose to wear. You are not the relationships you have had or the failures in the past - you are more than what you see and more than what you believe.
You are stardust and creation at it's finest with a dash of unexplained surprises and miracles wrapped up in the form of absolutely breathtaking. You are more than a reflection, more than comparison, more than all the criticism you ever chose to believe. The most exquisite package, wrapped in perfection and mystery. You are a universal explosion of stars, all the planets, the sun, the moon, the mountains, the land and the sea plus all that is beyond that. Mirrors are just glass and YOU are so much more than that.~Will "Story" Rivera |