“If you do something out of duty it will deplete you, but if you do something out of love it will energize you.” ~ Unknown

There are several things that motivate us as human beings to want to change, reach our goals or achieve our aspirations. One of the main motivators to better ourselves is often other people. How many times have we heard or even said ourselves, “I am going to stop drinking for my kids,” “lose weight for my spouse,” “stop smoking for my parents,” etc… And while it may sound noble to use our loved ones as the fuel behind our fire, it actually may end up working against us rather than for us.

When we use other people as our “reason” to stop or start doing something we come to an energetic fork on the road of personal development. Down one way we have the energy of duty/obligation and down the other path is the energy of love/joy. The energy behind our actions makes all the difference in the world. As time passes, and we use obligation as our reason for our actions we will begin to feel depleted energetically.

Julie Fidler, Natural Society
Waking Times

Could it all be based on a myth?

For years we’ve been told that depression is caused by low serotonin levels in the brain. Now, a leading professor of psychiatry is warning that belief is little more than a dangerous miscommunication, saying the marketing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs is “based on a myth.”

SSRI use began to skyrocket in the early 1990’s. The drugs were seen as a safer alternative to tranquilizers, which were the standard treatment for depression until that time. Despite being weaker than old-style tricyclic antidepressants, they grew in popularity because it was believed they restored serotonin levels back to normal, “a notion that later transmuted into the idea that they remedied a chemical imbalance,” said David Healy, head of psychiatry at the Hergest psychiatric unit in Bangor, North Wales.

Greece just defaulted on its 1.6 billion international loans, even with a last minute deal with the IMF, becoming the first developed economy to default on a loan with the International Monetary Fund.

The people of Greece have already undergone budget cuts to pensions and other social services, as well as numerous tax hikes, in order to try to pay back money which many claim was not their idea to borrow in the first place.

The country has already received almost 240 billion euros in an additional two bank bailouts from the EU and IMF. Those who want Greece to stay beholden to its creditors will argue that if Greece falls, then so will Germany, Spain, Italy, and France, along with other European countries tied to Greece’s economy.

by Darity Wesley

Responsibility: The energies and directions for the month of July are evolving around peeling back yet another layer of the illusion. The month of May was about coming to a level of understanding that we should pierce the veil, which is really a layered event. Then, in the month of June, the first one we busted through was the illusion of Blind Trust. July’s time is about busting through the illusion of control and taking responsibility for ourselves. Oh, say it isn’t so!

One of the greatest illusions in our world is the illusion of control. I think most of us know and understand that and yet we continually try to control people, places, things, situations and this month of July, Spirit has us set up to release and bust the illusion of control and take up the gauntlet of responsibility.

When we’re deep into something it’s hard to see clearly and to hear advice from others. It’s hard to focus on a solution when we are consumed with the problem.

It’s the difference between playing and watching a game of chess. It’s so much easier to see checkmate when you’re not the one playing the game.

That’s what happened to me for the last five years.

I spent every breathing moment consumed with a man, unable to listen to those who watched me struggle. I spent five years doing everything I could to try to force a man to love me, and in the process I forgot how to love myself.

Source: www.thefreethoughtproject.com | Original Post Date: July 2, 2015 –

In the past several weeks, a number of controversial natural health doctors have died under mysterious circumstances. Some of them have even had recent encounters with federal agents and bureaucracies.

Two weeks ago, the string of mysterious deaths began when Dr. Jeff Bradstreet MD was found in a river with a gunshot wound to his chest. The police claim that the gunshot wound was self-inflicted and that the death was a suicide, however, Bradstreet’s family suspects foul play.

Last week, members of the family set up a donation page “To find the answers to the many questions leading up to the death of Dr Bradstreet, including an exhaustive investigation into the possibility of foul play.”

There are some people in our life that make us feel happy and filled with joy while others make us feel sad and drain much of our energy. This is something that happens to most of us, but there are some people who have been able to manage not to be easily affected by other people’s negative energy, and in this article you will learn how you can do this too.

Below are some basic tips to stop absorbing other people’s negative energy:

1. Focus on the center of your being

Many of us don’t have any power over our emotions, we get easily attached to people and hence are easily affected by them. If you manage to center yourself you’ll find emotional balance and you will be able to dissolve any negative energy that resides within yourself and you’ll also stop absorbing it from your environment. In order to focus on your being, you can practice mindfulness. Mindfulness will help you distance yourself from what is influencing you and hence this way you will be able to not be easily negatively influenced by others. There are several techniques to help you find your center, such as focusing on your breath or observing the flame of a candle.