Carrieanne Fonger

Year of the Snake is characteristically one of chaos. It is designed to eliminate those things from your life that are no longer in your best interest. Intense change, constantly moving you from one life event to the next, may bring on frustration and distress. When chaos ensues, it is really important to go back to your personal foundation. Ask yourself the following questions:

-What does the word foundation mean to you? Make a list of tag words that have personal meaning. Some words that come to mind are: strength, spending time in nature, time for reflection, exercise, etc.

-Do these foundational elements exist in your life right now? If so, how many?

-If not, how can you reincorporate these basic themes into your daily structure? Try adding in a new foundation point every week until you are back on track.

The key to this exercise is the awareness of what makes you your best. When your personal foundation is strong, you are able to take on life’s challenges with little strife. What is your personal foundation?

Take a moment to remember all of your own broken places. Instead of filling the memories with shame, guilt, sorrow or regret, fill those broken spaces in your life with gold. Think about how each circumstance changed you for the better, helping to shape your character and make you who you are – “more beautiful for having been broken.”

Change is such a good thing – especially when it comes by way of a breakthrough!

Shattering the confines of your old self and pushing into a new expanded way of being is a major theme this year. 2013, Year of the Snake is full of many transformations, both big and small. Think of a snake shedding its skin. At some point during the year you will shed your old skin and embark upon a completely new journey. However both before and after this major shedding of your old self there will be a series of small changes to prepare you for the drastic shift into a new dimension of your life and then to assist in getting accustomed to the change.

During periods of such intense shifting energy, its important to focus on what nourishes you, what lifts you up, what brings you joy. Be out in nature as much as possible. Feed your spirit. Do what you love to do, and most importantly, follow your heart. It will always lead you in the right direction.

The Year of the Snake comes every twelve years. It’s purpose is to move you forward in life, to allow you to make a better choice, to give you the gift of beginning again. Embrace it and be thankful. This time next year you’ll be thanking your lucky stars for all the good fortune that these changes brought to you.

Got the winter blahs? Feeling down? Try something different…

Remember being a kid? Some days it seems so far away. Where did all the reckless abandon go? When was the last time you ate ice cream for breakfast, jumped in mud puddles, or let loose literal puns for the fun of just plain being silly?

Silliness takes the hardship out of life and adds in the fun. Laughing often is not only a great stress release, the joy it adds to the day is priceless: laughs + smiles = more contentment. Plus it’s contagious! Your laughter could make someone else’s day. Here are a few tips to add silliness into your day:

-When you wake up in the morning, start by being completely and totally grateful for just waking up, just being alive. Smile as big as you can and count your many blessings.

-Singing is a very important part of being silly. If you’re not used to singing in the shower or the car, try it out. At the top of your lungs let loose! You’ll be smiling in no time!

-Wear two different coloured socks. Aw, come on…who’s gonna see? Every time you remember I guarantee you will smile, plus there is the added benefit for those people that do notice!

-Tell a joke. Don’t know any? http://www.jokes.com/ is a great place to start.

-Eat some candy. Chew some bubble gum. You know, to get you in the having fun mood!

-Any time something stressful happens in your day, see if you can laugh about it. Adopt the “Don’t Worry Be Happy” attitude. You’ll be amazed how positive your life will become.

My teenage son likes to play video games in the car. He’s played many games over the years, but one that really got his attention was based on viewing 4 pictures, and guessing the theme of the pictures as a whole.

This morning he was stuck on a four picture theme and after only a few minutes of mentally trying to force an answer he said, “You know what? I know what I need to do. I have to take a pause to refresh my mind.”

“Hmm.” I said. How interesting. My first thought went to my computer page that I need to refresh from time to time when the computer is having trouble advancing.

He continued while looking out the window, “I’ve done this before at school when I’m working too hard. If I take a break the rest of the work comes easier.”

So my son looked out the window for only a few more moments and then looked down at the screen. “I know the answer. See, it works!”

The next time you feel overloaded, how can you refresh? Put down what you are doing and go for a quick walk, have a coffee or stare out the window. Let your mind bask in the moments of nothingness to reset to their optimum levels.

Creating a vision board is fun and easy. All that you need is:

- Blank poster board

- Old magazines

- Scissors

- Glue

Scan through your magazines for what you love about life. This can include anything that catches your attention in a positive way, draws an emotional charge or makes you dream more with a smile. If you have some specific goals in mind, like getting a new job, you can cater your pictures to that specific goal.

A vision board does not have to be completely covered. Keep cutting and pasting pictures until you feel that it is done, no matter how much white space is showing.

Now, let the law of attraction get to work for you! Creating a vision board sets an intention for what you would like to bring into your life. Energy is like a magnet and once it is focused, synchronicity and coincidence will work in your favour to adjust life to make these things happen.

The most important part of the vision board is letting it go and allowing it to happen. Know that your dreams and goals are on their way, working to meet up with you. In the mean time, create a life that you love everyday by adding things that make you feel good into your daily routine.

Dream time is the most valuable moment of each day. Dreaming creates space for creativity, imagination and stretching the boundaries of what is possible. There are 3 different kinds of dreaming:

1) Unconscious Dreaming

This type of dreaming is most often done at night, while you are asleep. Keep track of these adventures in a journal to remember what signs and symbols appear.

2) Daydreaming

A fascinating way of stretching personal boundaries, daydreaming can appear in two different ways:

-  Thoughts that accumulate on their own, creating a story in your unaware mind that rises to the conscious mind.

-  Triggers that create an unfolding daydream. Synchronistic events and meetings or thinking about certain ideas, people or goals can set your mind off on a tangent. Allow it to explore. See where the mind takes you, testing opportunities on a possible future path.

3) Meditation

Being present and allowing the mind to flow naturally is the most freeing experience. There is no action taken by a person who is mediating. The only thing necessary is to observe the thoughts that come into the mind’s eye. This type of mediation can be done while exercising, shopping, cleaning the house or during any task that gives some mental freedom.

Any quiet spaces that allow the mind to pause and wander stretch personal boundaries. Freedom to think of hopes, goals and aspirations is necessary to explore ideas that will enhance creativity. A creative mind is flexible, constantly filled with new ideas and exploring possible opportunities. Dreamers are the world’s great visionaries. When was the last time you paid attention to your dreams?

February 10 marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake in the Chinese Calendar. Get ready for a fascinating year. Some major themes this year are:

-go within to find answers

-take a leap of faith

-trust the flow of life

Symbolically, snakes represent transformation. Last year, the Dragon stripped away all things that were not necessary. The purpose of the Snake this year is to bring change on a major scale, rebuilding a new life. By the end of this cycle, you will be completely transformed into a better version of who you once were.

Uncovering the signs and symbols that are in the workings of the everyday is quite simple. There are 3 categories of hidden information:

Feelings:

When you wake up in the morning, take a few minutes to lie in bed and ‘feel’ out your day. Were your dreams positive or negative? Are they having an effect on you as you wake up? How do you feel in general upon waking – happy, sad, energized, overtired, etc. What needs to be done in your day?

The few moments that you take in the morning to bring awareness to how you feel will give you a head start on your day. If you are feeling energized and happy, do as much as you can to check off your to-do list and fulfill your obligations. If you are feeling low, be easy on yourself and minimize the clutter in your day, only doing what is necessary. This puts you in flow with your internal rhythm.

Numerical Signs:

Numbers are everywhere, creating the world around you. Pay attention. Are you seeing odd numbers that signify balance, or odd ones, meaning imbalance? Have you noticed some of your lucky numbers, or the same numbers repeating?

The general meaning of the numbers are as follows:

o – divine assistance

1 – beginnings

2 – peace, harmony, relationship

3 – creativity, communication

4- obstacles, creating a foundation

5 – joy of life, adventure, fun

6 – family relationships

7 – faith, healing, transformation

8 – abundance of all kinds

9 – endings, completion of a cycle, getting ready to begin again

Synchronicity:

“What are the chances of that?!” If you catch yourself saying this, then you have just experienced a moment of serendipity, filled with information. Pay attention. What did the coincidence mean to you?

Synchronicity is an open door of the universe, giving you an opportunity to move forward. Are you ready? If so, pursue the person, place or thing that is involved in your chance happening. It will take you onto the next stage of your life’s journey.

As a general rule of thumb, “when in doubt, feel it out.” All three hidden parts of your day can also be felt as intuitions and hunches. Go with what feels right and good, in alignment with what you love. 

Finally you realize what you need to do.

Finally you understand that part of yourself that is trying to break free.

Listen. Pay attention to that tug, that feeling that is drawing you forward.

You have reached the point of no return. There is no turning back now. Trust your heart, take a leap of faith into the unknown.

Finally you will be working on living your dream! There is nothing better.