The Longing to Be Loved

This article is part of my ongoing Series on Love.

As we enter the new year I have been thinking about the need for Love.

Longing for Love seems to be a common denominator of the human experience.

Have you ever wondered why love is so important? Have you ever thought life would be a whole lot easier if you had never loved? Have you ever wished that you did not have this deep need bursting inside of you to give love and the even more troublesome need to receive love?

Love seems to be an inconvenient essential in life. Ironically, love is both the source of life’s greatest joys and life’s most profound sorrows.

Somehow, mystically and almost magically, learning to love is woven into the very fabric of life. Both the urge to love and the heart-wrenching need to be loved can be inescapable.

Since love seems to be so essential in life, you might think it should not be the source of so much confusion and pain. Since the need to love another and the need to be loved is so prevalent, you might think love would be easy to give, and easy to receive. After all, love is something we all need and all long to give.

The Life Lesson of LOVE

Why, I have often asked myself as a counselor and life coach, is it so hard for people to learn how to love, and why is it so hard for people to let themselves receive love? As I ponder this question, I am aware that I have come to believe that learning about love is one of the essential lessons of life.

As I say these words, I must clarify that I mean that love is much more than a life lesson, I mean that it is THE life lesson. I believe it is the lesson life was created to learn.

The need for love lies at the very foundation of human existence.
– Dalai Lama

Our world, our bodies, our life, is the simultaneous merging of what is material and temporal with what is eternal and spiritual; Love is what brings these two very diverse worlds together. Part of the life lesson of love is learning what and how to love. Confusing these issues is easy.

You must remember to love people and use things, rather than to love things and use people.
– Archbishop, Futon Sheen

The more I ponder and consider the meaning of life and my own life’s purpose I am aware that learning to love is the lesson we all are exploring in our life adventure. The way we learn to love may be unique to each individual, but the theme expressed throughout a myriad of manifestations is consistent.

The future success of humanity is dependent upon love winning, we all, you and me, must learn to love. Love is the underpinning for guiding and directing Right Human Relationships. Love is more than the passionate emotions of longing and attachment that are often ascribed to it.

Love Can Be the Answer to All Life’s Questions

Love ironically can serve as the guide by which you can answer most if not all of life’s questions. Since learning the lessons of Love seem to be the motivation behind life’s varied experiences I would like to suggest a little question I often asked myself when facing a decision. That question is:

How is Love best served in this situation?

It is not a simple answer. To give in and give someone what they want may not serve Love. This is a lesson that any family member of someone plagued by an addiction of any kind has needed to learn.

Love is not best served when you harm yourself in the name of Love. That is not Love. That is not what love requires of you. And, most importantly, that is not how you love unconditionally.

Misconceptions About Love

The Media and a multitude of “chick flicks” and romance novels propagate a lot of misinformation about Love. What may make a good drama because it accurately reflects the pain and pathos of emotions is not the guide for how love is best served in life.

These illusions and glamours about love lead to lots of heart-brake and heart-ache as you strive to make Love into what it is not to meet these fantasy images. That leads to a profound misunderstanding about the nature of love. That misconception is that “Love Hurts.”

It is not Love that hurts. It is unmet and unfulfilled expectations that hurt. Again, I state, it is not Love that hurts. It is actually the failure to Love that hurts.

To learn what Love is is essential. However, it is of as much importance to learn what is Not Love.

This is particularly difficult when the person creating harm to you or pain in your life tells you that they love you. It is important to understand what is not love, in order to free yourself from those who use the need to love and be loved as the basis for manipulating and harming you. This false identification of love is sadly the most significant abuse of the innate desire to love and be loved. It has left a string of broken hearts and broken lives across the planet.

Loving Yourself

Freeing Love from the illusions and misunderstandings that are often sold in the world as love requires understanding how to Love Yourself.

When you answer the question “How is Love Best Served?” loving yourself must also be considered.

Loving Yourself is an important life decision and an essential spiritual decision. The result of the illusions and delusions about love that media’s misinformation campaign has created is that you are tempted and encouraged to accept abuse and pain in the name of love. It is essential to discriminate and understand that criticism and abuse are not love.

Self-sacrifice is not noble. Allowing yourself to be harmed is against what Love means. Part of Loving yourself is creating boundaries and honoring yourself.

Balancing what is right to give in a situation with the self-respect and honoring yourself is what loving demands. It is the background against which learning to Love is played.

Sometimes giving someone what they want is not loving. Sometimes is not even helpful when you consider the whole situation. Woven into the answer to the question of “How is Loved Best Served?” is the awareness of the long-term implications of a situation, and the unintended consequences that can happen when you do not consider self-respect and harmlessness as part of the decision that is important.

This merging of the consideration of how Love is best served is stated eloquently by Shakespeare in Hamlet, Act 1 scene 78-82:

“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Loving yourself, being true to yourself, taking care of yourself are all important parts of learning to love. Not only learning to love yourself, but learning to love another.

The Longing to Be Loved & Give Love

The longing to be loved and the deep longing to give love are part of human nature. Yet, the yearning to give love and express love is also a part of your Soul’s nature. This makes Love both unique and important because it is in loving that your material and animal nature needs and desires can also express your Spiritual essence.

It is in this blending of your Soul (your Divine Spark) and your Personality (your body, emotions, and mind) that happens when you love another or are loved that a miracle happens. That miracle is that something that is eternal is created in your temporal and material life.
– Genevieve Gerard

Love becomes the bridge in consciousness that opens you to the life of your Soul, whose nature is love and whose very essence is Love.

Love is what makes life worth living. It is the core of personal joy and the essence of all meaningful relationships from friends to lovers.

Learning to Love weaves together in a fantastic life tapestry two essential lessons that make life work. One is how to love yourself, and the other is how to love another. In those lessons, you learn to express your dual nature as a human being and your Spiritual nature as a spark of Divine Light. Ponder on this.

Namaste,

Genevieve

The Blessing of Love on all that you do!

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The Healing Power of Sleep

Genevieve Gerard

The Healing Power of Sleep

Did you ever wonder why you need to spend a third of your life asleep?

Amazing things happen while your body rests, amazing things that have a profound impact on your waking life.

While your body is at rest healing occurs in multiple ways and on multiple levels.

Just because you are not conscious and aware during sleep does not make your sleep time irrelevant. What happens when you are asleep is healing and restorative on a physical level, integrative and calming on an emotional level and stimulates both insight and intuition on a cognitive level.

Sleep is a critical time for your being, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

The third of your life that you spend sleeping is an active and vital part of your life. It is a time to activate and synthesize thousands of decisions and directions you have generated in your waking hours. It is the time to set into motion your thoughts and desires.

It is a creative time of manifestation for your consciousness. The directions of your thoughts throughout the day become the blueprint for your sleep. During sleep, it is important to harness the power of your mind generated throughout your waking hours. I believe your life force listens to your dream thoughts and resolves to create in your life what you have directed it to do.

This directing of your life through the power of your thought happens on a very diverse field. It includes your glands and your organs and even works on an atomic level, shifting your subtle energies to bring them into harmony and alignment with your desires. For this reason, it is best to reach a state of peace as you enter into sleep.

Sleep is not a time of unconsciousness, but rather is the fertile time in which your mind, your emotions, can align with your Higher Consciousness (your Soul). Sleep creates a productive and creative time. While you sleep, as your physical body rests and restores, the autonomic parts of your body are engaged in healing and balancing your hormones which activate a whole host of factors that were created by your emotions and glandular secretions in the day that has just passed.

It is a process of healing your, mind, your emotions, and your body that is a subtle yet powerful part of healing sleep. Sleep as a healing balm is understood in our collective awareness since the time of Shakespeare. Sleep is a vital and dynamic part of your day.

For this reason; it is important to learn how to sleep.

The vital and important role of sleep in your consciousness physically, emotionally and spiritual is why I created my guided “Sleep in Heavenly Peace Meditation.”

Because sleep is such a difficult issue for so many people, and the failure to get a restful and restorative sleep has such far reaching implications in life, sleep was one of the very first challenges I addressed when I started publishing my guided meditations. My Sleep In Heavenly Peace meditation CD remains one of my most successful, widely distributed, and reviewed products I have ever created. Click learn more here to check out this MP3 download and glide effortlessly into sleep. USE COUPON CODE sleep5 and get the digital mp3 download for only $5 until Sunday May 13th 2018.

In addition to what is happening to you physically during sleep is the emotional processing of what you have experienced throughout your day. This often occurs in the creation of your dreams. Dreams are certainly the assurance that when your body sleeps your consciousness remains actively engaged.

At times your dreams may seem random or strange. On other occasions through dreaming, it is clear that you have come to a resolution of a significant life issue. In your dreams, you may gain insight into something you have been striving to understand and gain mastery over.

Dreams can leave you feeling empowered. It is often beneficial to record your dreams in a journal to bring into your conscious awareness the insights and information that may have come to you as you sleep. When you do this as a part of your spiritual and psychological development, many report that their intuition is enhanced and awareness is increased in a dynamic way. To keep a journal next to your bed and then spend a few moments recording your dreams is a simple morning meditation. Try it tonight.

It is hard to talk about the process of dreams, especially the healing power of resolution, without mentioning the less than pleasant part of dreaming, nightmares. I believe nightmares are a way of working through and resolving fears.

I have found throughout my life that the more I have consciously worked to transmute, transform and transcend my fears as an integral part of my spiritual and life lessons, the fewer nightmares have plagued me.

I have also found that there is a direct relationship between what I have focused my conscious attention on during the day and the creation of nightmares in my sleep. For this reason, I discourage people from watching violent or dark movies or television shows or even reading horrifying novels right before bed.

In sleep, your mind processes all of the input of your day that pertains to your positive thoughts and your fears. Somehow it all goes into the consciousness mixing bowl of your dreams.

A well-spent day brings happy sleep.
– Leonardo da Vinci

That is why before sleep is a particularly valuable and vital time to say affirmations, especially affirmations that begin with the magic words of “I Am.” Meditating before you sleep is also something that many people find beneficial and empowering. And, of course praying just before sleep is a tradition many learned from their early childhood that remains an effective and valuable ritual with which to transition into sleep.

While you sleep your consciousness is often growing and expanding your awareness. Sleep is a particularly fertile time for incorporating and synthesizing insights you have received in meditation. In fact, I have often found that after a particularly insightful and profound meditation, it is beneficial to take a nap to incorporate your experience.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends the following levels of sleep.

Age and condition	Sleep Needs
Newborns (0–3 months)	14 to 17 hours
Infants (4–11 months)	12 to 15 hours
Toddlers (1–2 years)	11 to 14 hours
Preschoolers (3–4 years)	10 to 13 hours
School-age children (5–12 years)	9 to 11 hours
Teenagers (13–17 years)	8 to 10 hours
Adults (18–64 years)	7 to 9 hours
Older Adults (65 years and over)	7 to 8 hours

Many traditions consider sleep as a spiritually enlightening time because your Soul is free from the constraints of your ego and personality. Using your dreams as a portal to wisdom is common among the teachings of many of the world’s people. It is particularly valued by indigenous and spiritual teachings across the world.

Sleep is the best meditation.
– Dalai Lama

Consciously considering what you do to prepare for sleep helps this part of your life to be valuable beyond just an opportunity to restore your ability to keep going. If you consider the times in your life that you have, by necessity, been sleep deprived and how that affects your overall efficiency and sense of well-being, you can realize the significant opportunity for healing and empowerment sleep is.

It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.
– John Steinbeck

Each day is divided into a time for doing and a time for sleep. We all strive to use our doing time wisely and efficiently. Now empower your sleeping time to be the blessing that it can be. Sleep time is valuable to your success and your happiness. You want to make it a productive part of the fabric of your life.

When you awaken with the light of the new day, you can place the past behind you and open your life to the promise and unlimited possibilities of a new day brimming with new opportunities!

Sweet Dreams and Rest Well.

Namaste,

Genevieve

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What Would It Be Like If People Everywhere Practiced Kindness

Genevieve Gerard

What Would It Be Like If People Everywhere Practiced Kindness?

Recently I saw a quote from the Dalai Lama. He said, “My Religion is very simple, my religion is kindness.” That led me to consider what it would be like if people everywhere practiced kindness.

It takes only a few moments in any situation to see how rare and extraordinary kindness is. Even among friends and families, even while professing to love one another there is often cruelty. In many groups teasing is disguised as affection.

When that is the norm, there is an emotional confusion between what you experience and what you know to be true in your inner self. This confusion leads to misinterpreting what love is.

Is Teasing An Expression of Affection?

Teasing and sarcasm, two partners in cruelty disguised as love or affection are not kind. They often hide mean-spirited anger that is a way of one-upmanship and denigrating and insulting another.

That the cruelty is delivered cleverly or playfully is designed to cover up the meanness. And, the most damaging and harmful part of this way of relating with one another is that the person who is teasing and sarcastic claims to be showing affection. This leaves the target of the teasing and sarcasm disempowered. After all, says the attacker, “I was only teasing or playing.”

The playfulness or cleverness of the cruelty among those who practice this kind of behavior is supposed to render it harmless, but it never does.

This type of interaction still hurts, but the target is deprived of their expression of anger by the meanness being hidden in playfulness, being disguised as wittiness or affection.

What is so difficult about this kind of human interaction is that no matter how witty and clever the sarcastic quip may be, it still hurts. That hurt is real and for you to be told that it is loving attention is confusing. It is easy for a child to create confusion about what love is.

When I was a child teasing was a part of a lot of my interaction with adults. There was one friend of the family who was relentlessly cruel, rarely stopping showing me his so-called affectionate attention until I was in tears. Since he was “only teasing” I was not supposed to get upset. In fact, he often ridiculed me for my tears, teasing me further about crying.

Although I had not thought of this childhood teasing or this adult in many years, I realize now how harmful that “play” was. The most damaging part was not even the content of the teasing. The most damaging part was the LIE that his meanness was an expression of love or affection.

Deep in my heart, even as a very young child, I knew that cruelty was not an expression of love. Still, having the adults around me justified his meanness and created confusion about what it was to love. That was where the real harm was created.

Truth is not only violated by falsehood;
it may be equally outraged by silence.
– Henri Frederic Amiel

Each of us has within us an inner sense of truth and understanding of Right Action. When parents, teachers, or social norms teach something that violates that inner voice, it is very confusing and damaging to a child. A graphic example of this is when a child is abused and told it is love.

Sadly, childhood experiences of teasing or witty sarcasm, often a part of how teenagers interact, create a misunderstanding and confusion about what is loving behavior and what is not.

This confusion can lead to people not stopping abusive behavior especially when it is disguised as playfulness. When cruelty is received at the hands of a loved one, partner, friend, or parent something becomes disconnected. The disguise does not work deep within your heart, yet you may want to believe it is only “in fun.”

What I have observed with most people who use teasing and sarcasm as a way of interacting with others is a wave of underlying anger that peaks through. Since the anger seeps out wrapped in a package of joking it is not possible to confront the feelings honestly and bring them to the light of understanding.

The confusion that is created when you try to accept what is painful and disguised is sometimes called “crazy-making.” That is because of no matter what you are being told you have within you that innate sense of truth. The lie of cruelty instead of kindness will finally be revealed.

This innate sense of truth knows. Ultimately, you cannot lie to yourself.

Scripts People Live Story

I am reminded of a story told by Claude Steiner in his book “Scripts People Live: Transactional Analysis of Life Scripts.“

A Warm Fuzzier Tale by Claude Steiner

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived two happy people called Tim and Maggie with their two children, John and Lucy. To understand how happy they were you have to understand how things were in those days.

You see in those happy days everyone was given a small, soft Fuzzy Bag when born. Anytime a person reached into their bag they were able to pull out a Warm Fuzzy. Warm Fuzzies were very much in demand because whenever someone was given a Warm Fuzzy it made them feel warm and fuzzy all over.

In those days, it was very easy to get Warm Fuzzies. Anytime that somebody felt like it, he might walk up to you and say, “I’d like to have a Warm Fuzzy.” You would then reach into your bag and pull out a Fuzzy the size of a child’s hand. As soon as the Fuzzy saw the light of day it would smile and blossom into a large, shaggy, Warm Fuzzy. When you laid the Warm Fuzzy on the person’s head, shoulder or lap it would snuggle up and melt right against their skin and make them feel good all over.

People were always asking each other for Warm Fuzzies, and since they were always given freely, getting enough of them was never a problem. There was always plenty to go around, and so everyone was happy and felt warm and fuzzy most of the time.

One day an evil witch who made salves and potions for sick people became angry because everyone was so happy and feeling good and no one was buying potions and salves. The witch was ingenious and devised an evil plan. One beautiful morning while Maggie was playing with her daughter the witch crept up to Tim and whispered in his ear,

“See here, Tim, look at all the Fuzzies that Maggie is giving to Lucy. You know, if she keeps it up she is going to run out, and then there won’t be any left for you!”

Tim was astonished. He turned to the witch and asked, “Do you mean to tell me that there isn’t a Warm Fuzzy in our bag every time we reach for it?”

And the witch answered, “No, absolutely not, and once you run out, that’s it. You don’t have anymore.” With this, the witch flew away on a broom, laughing and cackling all the way.

Tim took this to heart and began to notice every time Maggie gave away a Warm Fuzzy. He got anxious because he liked Maggie’s Warm Fuzzies very much and did not want to give them up. He certainly did not think it was right for Maggie to be spending all her Warm Fuzzies on the children and other people.

Tim began to complain or sulk when he saw Maggie giving Warm Fuzzies to somebody else, and because Maggie loved him very much, she stopped giving Warm Fuzzies to other people as often and reserved most of them for him.

The children watched this and soon began to get the idea that it was wrong to give Warm Fuzzies any time you were asked or felt like it. They too became very careful. They would watch their parents closely, and whenever they felt that one of their parents was giving too many Fuzzies to others, they felt jealous and complained and sometimes even had a tantrum.

Even though the children found a Warm Fuzzy every time they reached into their bag they began to feel guilty whenever they gave them away, so they reached in less and less and became more and more stingy with them.

Before the witch, people used to gather in groups of three, four, or five, never caring too much who was giving Warm Fuzzies to whom. After the coming of the witch, people began to pair off and to reserve all their Warm Fuzzies for each other, exclusively. When people forgot to be careful and gave a Warm Fuzzy to just anybody, they worried because they knew that somebody would probably resent sharing their Warm Fuzzies.

People began to give less and less Warm Fuzzies and felt less warm and less fuzzy. They started to shrivel up and, occasionally, people would even die from lack of Warm Fuzzies. People felt worse and worse and, more and more, people went to the witch to buy potions and salves even though they didn’t seem to work.

Well, the situation was getting far-reaching indeed. The evil witch who had been watching all of this didn’t want the people to die (since dead people couldn’t buy his salves and potions), so a new plan was devised.

Everyone was given, free of charge, a bag that was very similar to the Fuzzy Bag except that this one was cold while the Fuzzy Bag was warm. Inside of the witch’s bag was Cold Pricklies. These Cold Pricklies did not make people feel warm and fuzzy; in fact, they made them feel cold and prickly instead. But the Cold Pricklies was better than nothing and they did prevent peoples’ backs from shriveling up.

So, from then on, when somebody asked for a Warm Fuzzy, people who were worried about depleting their supply would say, “I can’t give you a Warm Fuzzy, but would you like a Cold Prickly instead?”

Sometimes, two people would walk up to each other, thinking that maybe they could get a Warm Fuzzy this time, but one of them would change his mind, and they would wind up giving each other Cold Pricklies instead. So, the result was that people were not dying anymore, but a lot of people were miserable and felt frigid and prickly indeed.

The situation got very complicated since the coming of the witch because there were fewer and fewer Warm Fuzzies around and Warm Fuzzies which used to be free as the air became treasured.

This caused people to do all sorts of things to get Warm Fuzzies. People who could not find a generous partner had to buy their Warm Fuzzies and had to work long hours to earn the money.

Some people became “famous” and got a lot of Warm Fuzzies without having to give any back. These individuals would then sell their Warm Fuzzies to people who were “unpopular” and needed them to feel that life was worth living.

Another thing which happened was that some people would take Cold Pricklies–which were everywhere and freely available and coated them white and fluffy so that they almost looked like Warm Fuzzies. These fake Warm Fuzzies were really Plastic Fuzzies, and they caused additional problems.

For instance, two or more people would get together and freely give each other Plastic Fuzzies. They expected to feel good, but they came away feeling bad instead. People got very confused never realizing that their cold, prickly feelings were because they had been given a lot of Plastic Fuzzies.

So the situation was very, very dismal and it all started because of the coming of the witch who made people believe that someday when least expected, they might reach into their Warm Fuzzy Bag and find no more.

Not long ago, a young woman with big hips came to this troubled land. She seemed not to have heard about the bad witch and was not worried about running out of Warm Fuzzies. She gave them out freely, even when not asked. They called her the Hip Woman and disapproved of her because she was giving the children the idea that they should not worry about running out of Warm Fuzzies. The children liked her very much because they felt good around her and they began to follow her example giving out Warm Fuzzies whenever they felt like it.

This made the grownups anxious. To protect the children from depleting their supplies of Warm Fuzzies they passed a law. The law made it a criminal offense to give out Warm Fuzzies in a reckless manner or without a license. Many children, however, seemed not to care; and in spite of the law, they continued to give each other Warm Fuzzies whenever they felt like it and always when asked. Because they were many, many children, almost as many as grownups, it began to look as if maybe they would have their way.

As of now it’s hard to say what will happen. Will the grownups’ laws stop the recklessness of the children?

Are the grownups going to join with the Hip Woman and the children in taking a chance that there will always be as many Warm Fuzzies as needed?

Will they remember the days their children are trying to bring back when Warm Fuzzies were abundant because people gave them away freely?

The struggle spread all over the land and is probably going on right where you live. If you want to, and I hope you do, you can join by freely giving and asking for Warm Fuzzies and being as loving and healthy as you can.

Kindness can be described as a warm fuzzy. Like the warm fuzzy you know when you have received kindness.

As you considered the Dalai Lama’s statement that “his religion is kindness,” take some time to think what that would mean if everyone practiced kindness. I am sure it would make the world a better place. Imagine for a minute what the world would be like if everyone made a religion of kindness.

I would like to see kindness become contagious to epidemic proportions around the world. I encourage you to let kindness and compassion guide your actions and all of your relationships.

Namaste,

Genevieve Gerard

The Blessing of Love on All That you Do!

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About the author:
Genevieve Gerard teaches Transformational Consciousness – from first awakening to enlightened Soul awareness. She helps you experience the joy that results from the spontaneous “touch of your soul.”

A Gift to Celebrate the Lunar New Year

Genevieve Gerard

A Gift to Celebrate the Lunar New Year

A New Year is always a wonderful time for a new resolution, a new beginning or a new insight.

Lunar New Year is the beginning of a calendar year whose months are cycles of the moon. The relevant calendar may be purely a lunar calendar or a lunisolar calendar.

Chinese New Year is the largest celebration of the lunar new year.

You might already know this but one out of every 5 people in the world is Chinese and the Lunar New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world in countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, North and South Korea, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, and Mauritius, but also Europe, Australia, New Zeeland, America, and Canada.

What is the animal for Chinese New Year 2020?

Western horoscopes include 12 zodiacs, one for each month. However, there are 12 Chinese zodiacs as well, but the animal is for the entire year.

For the year 2020, the main zodiac element is metal, and the animal sign is Rat, and hence, 2020 will be the Year of the Metal Rat according to the Chinese zodiac.

People born in the year of the Rat include the years 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, and 2020. The years above are a rough guide; bear in mind that if you were born in January or February it may be slightly different as the new year moves between January 21 and February 20.

The Rat is the first of all Chinese zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived at his party. The rat tricked the ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, the rat jumped down and landed ahead of the ox, becoming first.

Rats symbolize wealth, intelligence, success and wisdom to the Chinese. In terms of the Yin and Yang theory, they are the yang and signify the beginning of a new day. They also represent the midnight hours and the Earthly Branch Zi.

In fact, Chinese astrology specialists suggest that 2020, the Year of the Metal Rat, is a good time to give birth as metal symbolizes stability and longevity. Those born in the Year of the Metal Rat tend to live a stable life and have the ability to turn unlucky events into fortune.

The Personality of the Rat

People born in the Year of the Rat are characterized as smart, resourceful and quick-witted. They have great imaginations and make sharp observations, with the ability to take advantage of several opportunities.

Strengths: Rats are clever, quick thinkers with a deep curiosity; intelligent, optimistic, successful, but content with living a quiet and peaceful life. The rat is adaptable and resourceful, has good intuition, and a strong imagination. They are kind and sensitive to other people’s emotions.

Weaknesses: Stubborn, timid, greedy, and don’t have much courage. They’re generally kind, but their weak communication skills can sometimes come across as rude or impolite, so they don’t make great leaders. On the financial side, they like saving their money and can be stingy. However, their love for hoarding will sometimes cause them to waste money on unnecessary things.

In Chinese culture, rats are a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.

Lucky Signs for the Rat

Lucky numbers for people born in the Year of the Rat are two, three, six, eight (avoid: 4, 5, 9) and their lucky colors are blue, green and gold (avoid: yellow, brown.) Their lucky flowers are lilies and African violets and their lucky directions are west, northwest, and southwest. Their closest western zodiac is Sagittarius.

How Long is the Chinese New Year?

The Little Year 2020

Preparations for the New Year (called the Little Year) last 8 days, beginning on January 17th, 2020 and go until Chinese New Year’s Eve.

Spring Festival 2020

As part of the celebrations, Chinese New Year officially begins on Saturday, January 25, 2020, this year with the Spring Festival which lasts 11 days through February 4th. People welcome spring and what it brings along: planting and harvests, new beginnings and fresh starts.

Lunar New Year

It is also called Lunar New Year because the Chinese New Year is based on a lunar year instead of a fixed number of days. Each month the moon comes back as a new moon on a different date. On average about 29.53 days. So, some months will be 29 days and others will be 30 days long. 12 lunar months will take 354.36 days, short of the 365 days in a solar year.

To fix this the Chinese calendar adds an extra month every third year. In the Chinese calendar, the beginning of the month is marked by the dark moon. The new year starts on a new moon. And because the Spring Festival goes according to the lunar calendar there is no set date every year for Chinese New Year.

The Lantern Festival 2020

After Chinese New Year at the first full moon of the (lunar) year is the famous Lantern Festival which preparations begin on the 5th and is held on February 8th this year. In ancient times, girls weren’t allowed to venture outside by themselves. But on this night, they were able to walk around, moon-gaze and look at the beautiful lanterns. Because of this, it’s also known as Valentine’s Day in China.

Overall the Chinese year will last from January 25, 2020, to February 11, 2021.

The lunar calendar is still important in China, even though it has officially moved to the Gregorian calendar like the rest of the world. All traditional holidays and days such as the Winter Solstice are celebrated.

What to Wear During Chinese New Year?

There is a Chinese tradition of wearing new clothes that goes all the way back to the Northern and Southern dynasties (420-589 AD). In the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), everyone would show off their new clothing as they visited friends on New Year’s Day. In the Republican period (1912-1949), beautiful new clothes were needed as the youth paid their respects to the elders. It’s a part of Spring Festival celebrations, just like the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner.

The Spring Festival is a time of change and new beginnings. Practically every activity during the Spring Festival has the purpose of removing the old and welcoming the new. Forget about the misfortunes and be ready for good luck. In addition, new clothes are auspicious and can protect you from evil spirits.

When buying clothes for Chinese New Year, go for red. This is the best color for the occasion. Stay away from black and white, as they are unlucky and negative during this time.

A Day for Praying to Gods

The Spring Festival was originally a ceremonial day to pray to gods for a good planting and harvest season. As an agrarian society, the harvest was everything. People also prayed to their ancestors, as they were treated as gods.

The Most Fireworks Are Set Off in the World on Chinese New Year’s Eve

According to the Chinese myth about Nian, firecrackers are supposed to scare off monsters and bad luck. So, people stay up on Chinese New Year’s Eve and set off firecrackers at midnight. In the morning, firecrackers are used again to welcome the new year and good luck.

Firecrackers aren’t the only thing that scared the monster away. Red is also an invaluable weapon and used in nearly all Chinese New Year decorations.

Things Not to Do During Chinese New Year Celebrations

The 11 days of the Spring Festival (January 25th through February 4, 2020) is a time of celebration. It’s to welcome the new year with a smile and let the fortune and happiness continue. At the same time, the Spring Festival involves somber ceremonies to wish for a good harvest.

Here are the top 10 taboos during the Chinese New Year to be aware of according to chinesenewyear.net. According to Chinese superstition, doing any of these on January 25th – the day Chinese New Year falls in 2020 – will lead to bad luck for the entire coming year. Follow these and fortune will smile on you.

Do not say negative words
All words with negative connotations are forbidden! These include death, sick, empty, pain, ghost, poor, break, kill and more. You wouldn’t want to jinx yourself or bring those misfortunes onto you and your loved ones.

Do not break ceramics or glass
Breaking things will break your connection to prosperity and fortune. If a plate or bowl is dropped, immediately wrap it with red paper while murmuring auspicious phrases. After the New Year, throw the wrapped up shards into a lake or river.

Do not clean or sweep
Before the Spring Festival (January 25th), there is a day of cleaning. That is to sweep away the bad luck. But during the actual celebration, it becomes a taboo. Cleaning or throwing out garbage may sweep away good luck instead.

If you must, make sure to start at the outer edge of a room and sweep inwards. Bag up any garbage and throw it away after the 5th day. Similarly, you shouldn’t take a shower on Chinese New Year’s Day.

Do not use scissors, knives or other sharp objects
Sharp objects, in general, will cut your stream of wealth and success. This is why 99% of Chinese hair salons are closed during the holidays. Haircutting is taboo and forbidden until Lunar February 2, when all festivities are over.

Do not visit the wife’s family
Traditionally, multiple generations live together. The bride moves into the groom’s home after marriage. And, of course, she will celebrate Chinese New Year with her in-laws. Returning to her parents on New Year’s Day means that there are marriage problems and may also bring bad luck to the entire family. The couple should visit the wife’s family on the 2nd day. They’d bring their children, as well as a modest gift (because it’s the thought that counts).

Do not demand debt repayment
This custom is a show of understanding. It allows everyone a chance to celebrate without worry. If you knock on someone’s door, demanding repayment, you’ll bring bad luck to both parties. However, it’s fair game after the 5th day. Borrowing money during the Spring Festival is also taboo. You could end up having to borrow the entire year. It is better to pay off all of your debts before the new lunar year.

Avoid fighting and crying
Unless there is a special circumstance, try not to cry. But if a child cries, do not reprimand them. All issues should be solved peacefully. In the past, neighbors would come over to play peacemaker for any arguments that occurred. This is all to ensure a smooth path in the new year.

Avoid taking medicine
Try not to take medicine during the Spring Festival to avoid being sick the entire year. Of course, if you are chronically ill or contract a sudden serious disease, immediate health should still come first.

Some related taboos: Don’t visit the doctor; Don’t perform/undergo surgery; Don’t get shots.

Do not give New Year blessings to someone still in bed
You are supposed to give New Year blessings. But let the recipient get up from bed first. Otherwise, they’ll be bed-ridden for the entire year. You also shouldn’t tell someone to wake up. You don’t want them to be rushed around and bossed around for the year. Take advantage of this and sleep in!

Chinese gift-giving taboos
It was mentioned above that you should bring gifts when paying visits. It’s the thought that counts, but some gifts are forbidden. Clocks are the worst gifts. Gifting clocks is a homophone of paying one’s last respects. Splitting pears is also a homophone of separation.

For the Spring Festival, these rules may seem excessive. Especially when you add in the cultural norms, customs, and manners. But like a parent would say, they are all for your own good. Formed over thousands of years, these taboos embody the beliefs, wishes, and worries of the Chinese people.

Who should be on their guard this year?

According to Chinese astrology, the year of your birth sign is believed to be one of the most unlucky years of your life. It is thought that people in their zodiac year offend Tai Sui, the God of Age, and incur his curse.

Famous names who should be wary this year include Jeremy Clarkson (1960) and Idris Elba (1972), Al Gore and Richard Simmons (1948), as well as the Duke of Sussex, Katy Perry, and Scarlett Johansson (all born in 1984).

Lewis Capaldi (1996) was also born in the Year of the Rat, plus Gary Lineker and Jonathan Ross (both born in 1960).

Also born in the year of the rat were William Shakespeare, T. S. Elliot, and George Washington.

My Gift To You For the New Year

To support you and empower all of you this Lunar New Year I have gathered some inspiring and life-guiding quotes (below) that have been made into memes that you can download (on a PC, right click and Save Image As,) share, print and place in your life to keep these positive thoughts in your mind. I hope you enjoy them and find them helpful to you along your journey.

May this New Year be transformative as you learn to love and grow in greater awareness. May love and joy fill the events of your time. May kindness and compassion fill your days. May you find the strength to be and become who you truly are as you manifest and fulfill the purpose of your life and Soul.

Thank you for sharing my posts with your friends and for your many comments. It is my joy to share my writings and teachings with you.

I invite you to become a part of my Consciousness Community by registering here. I will be creating gifts over the next year that I will be exclusively sharing with community members.

QUICK FACT: This post has been viewed 8,749 times. Please share it with friends and then check out our other related posts below and in the “Hot Topics” sidebar.

Inspiring and Life Guiding Quotes You Can Download

Write it on your heart that everyday
is the best day in the year.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
What You Can Do in the New Year to Create a Happy New Year blog post

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
whispering, it will be happier.
– Alfred Lord Tennyson

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
New Year, New You blog post

Cheers to a new year and another chance for
us to get it right
– Oprah Winfrey

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
12 Resolutions To Empower You In The New Year blog post

Never forget the three powerful resources you always
have available to you, love, prayer, and forgiveness.
– H Jackson Brown Jr

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
A Prayer for the New Year blog post

Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.
~ Omar Khayyam

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
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Today you are you!
That is truer than true!
There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
~ Dr. Seuss

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
I Want To Be My Whole Self article

Don’t forget to love yourself.
~ Soren Kierkegaard

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
Love Yourself First article

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
~ Dalai Lama

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
Revolutionary Simple Acts of Kindness blog post

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
~ C. S. Lewis

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
Dare to Dream blog post

The mind is everything. What you think you become.
~ Buddha

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Blessed are those who give without remembering and
take without forgetting.
~ Elizabeth Bibesco

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
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Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows,
but only empties today of its strength.
~ Charles Spurgeon

Related Genevieve Gerard Post:
Relieve and Release Your Anxiety blog post

Namaste,

Genevieve

Happy Lunar New Year!

The Blessings of Love on All That You Do!

Last updated 1-24-2020

Open Yourself To Being Guided By Kindness

Genevieve Gerard

Open Yourself To Being Guided By Kindness

A standard can be applied to life’s many little decisions that can help you choose what is right and help you create a better world.

That is to let kindness be your guide.

It does not matter if others believe what you believe; you can be a teacher of your truth, without words, by simple acts of kindness.

Kindness demonstrates and teaches more than your words ever can. As the adage simply states, “Action speaks louder than words.”

Kindness is a gateway to compassion.
Compassion is a gateway to Love.
– Genevieve Gerard

For most, to live a spiritual life, to follow the teachings of Christ, can be a challenge as circumstances and events present themselves.

Anger, frustration and judging others as wrong or lacking in some way, are all too easy to do. Deep in your heart and Soul you know that is not what Jesus would have done. His teachings speak of forgiving many times, yet this may seem to be too hard to do. To respond with kindness is somehow more achievable.

Therefore, I suggest simply allowing the concept of kindness to be your guide.

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.
– Lao Tzu

Somehow, kindness is a simpler standard to achieve in your relationships with others. It can be communicated in a smile or a random compliment to a complete stranger. That simple act, even a random act of kindness, can have a profound influence on someone else’s life.

Often it costs you nothing to give. Frequently, it does not require planning or forethought. Kindness can provide hope to another that has become hopeless, or encouragement to someone who is lonely or discouraged.

A kind word and a kind act most often cost you nothing. It is a small way that you can make the world a better place.

None of us can ever know the secret burdens in the lives of others. However, when we practice kindness we can have an impact and influence to ease their way. Even though we may never know the result of our little gesture of goodwill, at times it may have a dramatic and transforming effect.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
– Aesop

Kindness is a cornerstone of right human relations that builds and grows as it moves from one person to the next. It ignites energy that can then be passed along.

Kindness requires no belief system. It is a way to demonstrate your love and your joy with total strangers. Although you may never know the influence a kind word has in someone’s life, it is a powerful way to share the spiritual blessings you have received. It is a way that you can be an instrument of grace and compassion in the world.

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
– Dalai Lama

When you consider how you can emulate the lives of the great spiritual teachers of the world, it is easy to feel that they are so far beyond you that you have no chance. You know your limitations. Kindness is so simple and so easy that it is a way that you can be a spark of Divine Light and an emissary of Divine Love as you walk through your daily Life.

When you let kindness be your guide, many of the spiritual teachings are fulfilled. It does not require deep understanding of theology or philosophy to practice kindness, yet it has a powerful influence.

Kindness is a way to demonstrate the qualities of Love and grace for others. The wonderful thing about kindness is that it becomes contagious and when it becomes a habit blesses your life in return.

A kind act or a kind deed brings Light into an environment. It helps dispel sorrow. It loosens the bonds of fear. And amazingly this happens spontaneously.

Kindness brings a response in others that emerges naturally.

Think about a time you may have been feeling a little down or insecure and a complete stranger offered you a very simple compliment. Something said to you as simple as remarking “you have such beautiful eyes.” Did that random comment by a stranger not give you a gift of support and encouragement?

Kindness is a way to pass that good feeling on.

Download your copy of the Gift of Love Meditation MP3.

I encourage you to try an experiment of noticing the lives of strangers around you as you engage in a practice of random acts of kindness this week. Observe the way that it makes you feel to be kind to others. Notice how their body language might change after your act of kindness.

Most of all, notice how the generosity of a kind word or kind act makes you feel. For me, it is happier, more relaxed and less isolated in the world.

It is by giving we receive. Through kindness, you can be the change in the world that you wish to see. Remember to be guided by kindness, practice acts of courtesy, good will, graciousness, understanding, and tenderness.

Namaste,

Genevieve

The Blessing of Love on All That You Do!

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Last updated 1-27-2019

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The Quality of Loving Understanding

Genevieve Gerard

The Quality of Loving Understanding

This is another article in my on-going series on love.

The other day when I was meditating upon what is known as “The Festival of Humanity,” (a time in the spiritual calendar where Christ gathers his disciples to disperse and dispense to the world the energies most needed at this time, for the purpose of helping and healing humanity), the concept of loving understanding was impressed upon my Soul.

I will strive to share with you this concept of Loving Understanding. It contains within it some nuances of love that have a profound impact on the art of loving. I will do my very best to share with you how it affects loving and influences your understanding of improving right relationships.

More important than my explanation and understanding of this concept of Loving Understanding, I invite you to ponder upon the concept. Be receptive to the angels and the work of the Holy Spirit to bring to the world these energies of love.

What message and insight you receive as you open your heart, your mind and your Soul to the work and service of the Christ, will have a more powerful impact than my words can ever hope to have.

As I issue this invitation as a call to action, I would like to clarify something that I hope will communicate an underlying message in all of my writings and teachings. My role and my hope are to help you get more consciously aware of the wisdom and guidance of your Soul. There are no concepts that I can ever share with you that will have more power or impact in your life than opening to the power and the insight of your Soul.

My human imperfection limits my work and my teachings. Still I strive to serve as a conduit and bridge to help you find the deep inner truth that is within you.

Once you connect with your Soul and experience these deep inner truths, your prayers, and your meditations will be open to the promptings of your Soul. I believe that this should be true of every spiritual teacher. I believe your Soul will guide you to the solutions to your challenges and lessons that are unique to your purpose and your life journey.

Each life has its sacred journey and within it the opportunity to learn and to grow into right-relationship with God and those we encounter along the way. Our adventure of life can be amazing and wonderful. Entering into right-relationship with others brings with it the gifts of love and unlimited opportunities for joy.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them, humanity cannot survive.
– Dalai Lama

As I was pondering about the guidance of this recent meditation and its perspective of which we approach our relationship with one another in the context of loving understanding, I realized that there are subtle, yet important, ways this concept is significant.

Spiritual teachings have long advised us to love one another. The standard of love has been to love unconditionally. The way it is described is, “love one another as God has loved you.” This is a standard against which we measure our love, that most people can only seldom achieve.

I know in my life when I have been able to love everyone unconditionally, it is glorious and wonderful. I also know that many times in my life and my loving, I have failed to reach that standard.

Love is not only something you feel; it is something you do.
– David Wilkerson

This example of loving understanding seems to offer a step toward loving more unconditionally. It encompasses activating compassion without any demands or expectations.

Loving understanding starts from the awareness and acknowledgment that each of us in our humanity and our life experiences are imperfect, and that is perfectly alright.

From a trip to the Middle East, I am reminded of a story that I heard while visiting a rug making facility that created exquisite handmade silk rugs.

The proprietor told me that every rug had a flaw, often woven in on purpose because “only God is perfect.” In my many years of coaching, I have seen people suffer from judging themselves against an impossible standard of expectations. I often say, “Only God is perfect. You don’t have to be perfect since you are not God.”

This compassion of release from unrealistic expectations, which is inherent in the concept of treating one another from the perspective of loving understanding can influence relationships in very important ways. It implies respect that each of us is on our own life’s journey and our own path.

No mistake along the way ever destroys the truth. Every failure, every foible is an opportunity for greater growth and understanding of what it means to live and how to love. No life lesson is ever wasted if you look at it from a higher perspective.

When you release your demands upon either yourself or others, there is an ability to relax and enjoy without judgment or criticism. You can be who you are, accept how you are, and more importantly understand that those around you are on their own path and have their own life lessons to learn.

This freedom of expectations also loosens the negative aspects of attachment. It enables you to appreciate the unique differences that exist between individuals while enhancing and supporting one another with loving understanding.

With this understanding, you honor that you are you, and I am I, in a way that celebrates the miracle of relationship and sharing our life journey.

There is a mantra that was adapted from the Ageless Wisdom by my spiritual mentor, Dr. Robert Gerard Ph.D. © 1980. It can be freely used and shared as long as the copyright and attribution are used.

A mantra is a way of focusing your meditation. I have always liked this one and feel that it will help empower and enhance your meditations on loving understanding.

I Stand A Point Of Peace

I stand a point of peace,

and through that point

true power, love and light can flow.

I stand in restful poise,

and through that poise

I can attract the gifts

that I can share.

A dedicated will:

The gift of purpose.

An understanding heart:

The gift of compassion.

A quiet mind:

The gift of illumination.

I never stand alone,

for around me gather those

I seek to serve:

My companions on the path,

my colleagues in the work,

Souls that require my help,

even though I see them not,

and those in near and distant places

who seek the Master of my life,

the universal Presence

that sustains all lives.

I would love for you to post any of your thoughts and impressions (as comments) as you meditate and pray about loving understanding. You can do this below or in the section on my website called transitional stories.

We are all fellow disciples on the path to the Light and more enlightened awareness. I honor your loving understanding today!

Namaste,

Genevieve

The Blessing of Love on All That You Do!

P.S. As a way to be more empathetically aware of other people’s feelings; tolerant and forgiving, try pondering on the words: compassionate, empathetic, sensitive, considerate, tender, kindness, thoughtful and supportive.

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Last updated 6-9-2019

Browse her life story and read the Touch of the Soul that changed her world. To contact Genevieve, visit her keep in touch page.

The Quality of Loving Understanding Read More »

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Glad you liked this. I hope it was helpful for you.

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