New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
We tend to love perfection, perhaps too much. We love the new, the flawless, the ideal. But much of life is imperfect, and anyway, perfection is hard to maintain. We keep the coffee mug with a chip, because our best friend gave it to us; we wear the sweater with a small stain because it was knit by an aunt, just for us. We need to learn the value of imperfections. The Japanese call these wabi sabi, and value these items, because they show the transitory nature of the physical world. ...
With the long nights this time of year, consider recording your dreams in a dream journal. Some people like a small bound journal, others a large notebook. Loose sheets of paper are fine too, perhaps on a clipboard, or in a loose-leaf notebook. Lined paper may be easier for words. Unlined paper is easier to draw on, though; it's specially useful for dreams, which may have images there are no words to describe. A pencil lets you erase mistakes, which I find more common when I've just woken ...
Are you having nightmares or other bad dreams? Create a dream protector. There are many possibilities. I've heard that nutcrackers of the classic sort, that look like old-fashioned toy soldiers, can be used as bedside guardians. Dragons are a protective totem in Asian mythology. Find the image that seems protective to you; this can be a flat picture you can hang on the wall over your bed, or a statue small enough to sit on your bedside table. If you can take it along with you if you ...
What is there in your life that you would like to undo, turn around, rewind? This is the night for it: Daylight Savings Time is ending; time to turn the clock back. You don't have to stay up until 3am for this spell, but perform it as late as possible in the evening. Find a old wind-up clock with hands, and a spool of thread, and think about one issue or problem you want to work on. Find a quiet place to sit with the clock, and have the thread within reach. Think about the situation you ...
