To celebrate today, the Assumption of Mary, here is a visualization on self-compassion that can be used when finding oneself in a difficult situation. I found this painting in an old church in a remote village in northern Romania on the border of Ukraine.

Let's begin by taking a moment to settle our body into a comfortable position.
You may close your eyes or keep them slightly open with a soft focus looking downward a few feet in front of you. 
Allow your spine to lift and your shoulders to soften (2 seconds).
Today we will practice self compassion.
Taking a full breath in (2 seconds) and a long slow breath out (2 seconds).
I invite you to think of a situation in your life right now that's difficult.
Maybe you are feeling a little stressed or you're worried about something happening or perhaps there's tension in one of your relationships.
This practice is only for a few minutes, so choose something that isn't too difficult (2 seconds).
Bring this challenging situation to mind.
What happened or what do you think might happen?

And now that you're holding this in your mind,
I invite you to consider these things (2 seconds).

First, simply acknowledge that this is a difficult situation.
Find language that works for you to label what's happening right now.
Perhaps this is a really tough situation.

Maybe I feel a little afraid about this.​

Just bring mindful awareness to what's happening right now (2 seconds).
Next, acknowledge that difficulty is a part of life.
It's something that you've experienced before and everyone around you has experienced before too (2 seconds).
Remind yourself of our common humanity.
That difficulty is a part of our experience and like everything else, it too will shift (5 seconds).
Finally, I invite you to say to yourself from your mind,
“May I be kind to myself in this moment.” (2 seconds)

Stop rushing, my love. Stop stressing about the future and worring about the past. Stop wasting your precious seconds on this earth by making everything about things you cannot change and things you are not able to control. Just let it go. Just stop. Take some deep breaths and listen to your heartbeat. Be present, be mindful, be right here, right now. Because the now is all you have. There is no need to obsess over you past or your future - the only thing that happens is that you miss the now. So, let go of ‘what if’s, ‘could have’s and should have’s and accept everything for what it is. Sometimes you really need to remind yourself that you only get this one life, this one change to live your life to the fullest. Do not waist it, my love. Inhale. Exhale. And make the most of every second. 

—anniespositivity from soulxsigh on Instagram

Don't Fear the Tiger: The Evolutionary Role of Anxiety
by Jowita Kiwnik Pargana from Prezekroj Magazine (revised)

We find it easier to remember unpleasant events than nice ones, we notice an angry face more easily than a happy one, we are quicker to dislike something than to like it. This is because our brain works like it did thousands of years ago. 
​
Taught to fear As the American neuropsychologist Rick Hanson observes in his book Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence, our brain evolved to learn quickly and draw conclusions from bad experiences. This approach had an adaptative function, as concentrating on dangers helped our ancestors survive. The crucial role was played by fear. The fear of being attacked and eaten by a predator, the fear of other, hostile groups of people, an encounter with whom could end tragically. 

“Our ancestors could make two kinds of mistakes: (1) thinking there was a tiger in the bushes when there wasn’t one, and (2) thinking there was no tiger in the bushes when there actually was one. The cost of the first mistake was needless anxiety, while the cost of the second one was death,” Hanson writes. “Consequently, we evolved to make the first mistake a thousand times to avoid making the second mistake even once.” 

This way, anxiety has become virtually impressed into our DNA. “It is believed that anxiety, as an emotion or a mechanism that enabled us to survive as a species, is encoded in us,” confirms Karol Grabowski, a psychiatrist and cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist from Gdańsk Medical University.

Pink Full Moon Rituals
from www.thelocalmystic.com

​Meditation
One way to tap into the energy of the April Pink Moon is through meditation. Find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed, light a candle, and sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself, and then visualize a pink light surrounding you. Imagine this light filling you with new life and energy, helping you to release any old patterns or beliefs that no longer serve you. Focus on your intentions for the coming months, and ask the universe to guide you towards your highest good.

Build and Altar
Another way to honor the April Pink Moon is to create a simple altar with pink flowers, crystals, and other items with personal significance. Light candles in pink or pastel colors and offer prayers or affirmations for renewal and growth. You may also perform a releasing ritual, where you write down any limiting beliefs or negative thoughts holding you back and then burn them as an offering to the universe.

Embrace Joy
Finally, remember that the April Pink Moon is also about joy and celebration. Spring is a time of renewal and new beginnings, and this full moon invites us to embrace the beauty of the world around us. Take a walk in nature, spend time with loved ones, and revel in the simple joys of life. By doing so, you will align yourself with the energy of nature and open yourself up to the abundance and joyous nature of life.

If you’re exhausted, rest.
If you don’t feel like starting a new project, don’t.
If you don’t feel the urge to make something new,
just rest in the beauty of the old, the familiar, the known.
If you don’t feel like talking, stay silent.
If you’re fed up with the news, turn it off.
If you want to postpone something until tomorrow, do it.
If you want to do nothing, let yourself do nothing today.
Feel the fullness of the emptiness, the vastness of the silence, the sheer life in your unproductive moments.
Time does not always need to be filled.
You are enough, simply in your being.
~ Jeff Foster

As you fall
asleep tonight,
do not take this
inhalation for granted.
Honor her like a royal guest.
Make a spacious tent
of your flesh,
for She who scattered
the galaxies
and harvested all
their clustered stars
has come to dwell
in the vineyard of your body.
She will pour the Milky Way
down your backbone,
anointing you with spikenard
from her fathomless
jar of whimsy.
Let each expiration guide you
to a mirror of moonlight.
The key is silence.
Step through.
Follow her rainbow into the void
where wings of astonishment
will carry you from
death to death.
Fathom the sap.
A scent of blossoms
from the arbor under your ribs
will guide you home,
heart widened
by a memory of stillness.
Let her lure you down
green corridors
and pull you into the seed.
If you won’t become hollow,
how can you be filled
with the music of Imbolc?

by Fred LaMott
photography Hiseo Kanno

It’s the season when we tell children the tales of Santa and his flying reindeer. But this year why not tell the story of the sacred “Deer Mother” of old? Taking flight from the darkest, longest night of the year, it was she who brought the life-giving light of the sun back to the land, in her horns.
To learn more about the Deer Mother and Winter Solstice lore, visit Gather Victoria. 

​image: Elen of the Ways by Chesca Potter