HJ: It is the relationships we have with others that in large part define the quality of our own lives.  It is not the only factor, but a big one and those with an abundance of deep, fulfilling relationships are often the happiest (and most successful) among us.  Today’s article is about doing just that — creating deeply fulfilling relationships with the people in your life.

- Truth

5 Ways to Get Close to Others

Intimacy is a skill, not an innate gift.

By Jill P. Weber Ph.D. | Psychology Today | Dr Jill Weber

People often come to me berating themselves and feeling they are fated to never be close or truly known by another being...

During this week leading up to your day that celebrates love, some people find it difficult if they are not in a relationship. If you are finding yourself feeling sad or upset, we would like to point out to you that it is likely due to the fact that you are focused on what you consider to be an absence of love.

Dear Ones, do not get tripped up over perceived lack this week! There is an abundance of love all around you. Use this week to see the endless potential the universe holds! See all the hearts, the chocolates, the roses, as a love letter to you from Source. Fill yourself up with love. See all the evidence of love as a sure sign it is making its way to you. Take a moment to commune with your future love, sending that person affection, encouragement and appreciation, and feeling the connection that already exists between your souls.

If you embrace the love that flows to you and through you from Source, if you fill yourself up with unconditional love and feel all the love you are ready to share, you can see this Valentine’s Day as wonderful preparation for the love that is sure to find you, whenever the timing is perfect for you and your future beloved. ~Archangel Gabriel

The Universal alarm clock is going off; it is time to wake up!  Open your eyes, throw off the duvet of old beliefs and start living wide awake! ~ Creator

Written by Wes Annac, The Culture of Awareness

I’ve written a lot about my passion for music, and like a lot of people, I think it’s the language of the soul. It connects us with the spiritual realms in a direct and intense way, and playing it is one of the best ways to stay in touch with our essence; the aspect of our consciousness that’s constantly connected with the higher realms.

I don’t think I could ever stop playing music, but I recently decided to make it more of a hobby than something I pursue full-time. It’s a talent I still have yet to fully develop, and after working for months to develop it, I’m realizing that I’ve started to take it too seriously.

Singing is the main aspect of it that I’ve taken too seriously, because I put too much pressure on myself to sound ‘good’. Singing is something that you want to be good at if you want to seriously pursue, and this decision stems from the fact that after months of relatively consistent practice, my voice isn’t quite where I want it to be.

The decision to make music more of a hobby is actually liberating, because it allows me to free up time for other pursuits like writing, meditation, developing the blog and, when it’s warm out, getting out to nature and feeling the good vibration Gaia constantly radiates.

A certain part of us has to die in order to experience spiritual awakening. This is the symbolism behind the crucifixion of Jesus. We often don’t even know that we are in a state of spiritual deadness. Notice how badly the personality resists. The level of resistance is the exact intensity of our attachment to the false identity. It is the very thing that needs to be undone. Struggling will only make things worse so it’s best to remain still. Consider how much the personality does not want to experience spiritual death. It feels just like the real thing. Let’s not, however, be convinced that we’re too weak to make it through the fear and pain.

Facing our own personal day of judgement is the realization that we will have to face exactly what we have put out into the universe AND what we have not. If we’ve wronged someone we will eventually be made to feel the same vibrational energy we put into that action. If we hold back our feelings, we will have to face that too. We resist because we know it’s going to hurt. There really is no judgement involved, except the criticism we to give to ourselves. The longer we wait and the harder we resist the worse it feels when it finally comes time. It’s beneficial to do the work now and understand why we are putting out negative energy in the first place.

By: Meghan Toups & Heather Brown

More and more people are wanting to find safe, natural options for boosting their health. And, understandably so! With the state of healthcare, chronic stress and disease, feeling more in control of our health can make us feel empowered and strong.

Immune building and alternative ‘get well’ remedies are becoming abundant and easily available. As you begin to delve more into the world of natural healing, it’s important to become conscious consumers and educate yourself on products and services that interest you.  Essential oils have been used for thousands of years with great benefit.

While they can be extremely effective in helping our bodies heal and prevent illness, building our knowledge base before use is very important. High quality, therapeutic essential oils are very potent and it’s important to understand how and when to use these beneficial healing aids.

Arjun Walia, Collective-Evolution
Waking Times

Karma is a concept taught by various cultures throughout human history, and is an idea that dates back thousands of years. Despite its proliferation, the idea of karma seems to be generally misunderstood and  frequently tossed around without any real understanding of its true meaning.

What is Karma?

In the Bhagavad Gita (one text out of many from multiple cultures that speak of karma), there are constant dialogues about how to attain what’s referred to as “moksha”.  Moksha is the release from the cycle of rebirth; a sort of transcendent state or freedom from the world we currently know – a world in which our senses deceive us. It’s a state of bliss that can only be attained when we have freed ourselves from the web of Karma. Once we reach that point our soul is ready to move on to another experience that goes beyond rebirth.