Message In a Bottle

What if you wanted or needed to sneak in an extra message? Something that’d get the attention from only a few. Normally, it’s what we do when we whisper, gesture, or make expressions towards those who can see and hear us, leaving out the rest from the little secret.

It’s nothing new. Is it kind of rude? Yes, when you’re not in it. But then again, there are way worse things in life. And when it comes to art, multiple messages, some less obvious than others, are to be expected. The question is then: Are you paying close attention?

If you’re invested enough to be able to tell when something is off or might have an added meaning, you’re already past the door and into the circle of people who ‘get it’. Are you welcome there or not, however? That still depends. 

Let’s say you’re making art and you’d like to add hidden messages for a minority. A specific target audience, your most invested participants, and such. There are a few ways to go about it. And you can choose the ones that suit your style and/or fit the level of discretion that you’re aiming for.

- Put it in something you don’t regularly do. An extra piece that isn’t quite like the others.

- Put it in your regular pieces, but subtly highlight it by consistently adding a mark that signals that it should be read further into.

- “Casually” add background music with lyrics that speak for you.

- “Casually” add background signs that point towards or literally say it.

- Have a separate collection or via through which your work, though it may seem normal, always carries hidden messages.

Then it is a matter of giving them the time to recognize these quirks, along with your particular patterns. You can think of more ways, of course, there are plenty, but these are some of the least messy, yet still “hidden in plain sight”, sort. And you can continue to go about your day job as if you haven’t been doing anything extra and sneaky.

Later on, whether you will admit to any of this more explicitly, it is for you to decide. You shouldn’t be messing with people’s heads and hearts, causing psychological harm or worse. But if it’s all just been without ill intent or even for valid reasons, and you’ve kept yourself in check (beware of using symbols or “symbols” that should be respected and/or avoided, etc.), you can have a clear conscience.

Virgo's Season

♍ VIRGO

As we enter the season of Virgo, it is believed that the universe will be affecting us with energies that will cause us to examine our lives and focus on improvement. We will be more in tune with our analytical minds, and abilities to solve and perfect will be enhanced. If you are receptive to them, you might be imbued with clarity and precision. If you are resistant to them, you might be conflicted with overthinking and self-criticism. If you are completely blocked out, you might not notice them at all. And if you don't pay enough attention, you might miss opportunities to refine your goals.

Motivational Quote: "Small steps make the biggest difference."

For context and more of relevance, please read about The Zodiac.

The Glow Up

You are beautiful when you glow. When you don’t too, but this is a different kind.

The term glow up is often casually used to refer to surface levels of improvements, making your appearance more appealing, typically based on the current or surrounding beauty standards. And while that’s fine, there can also be a lot more to it. You could be glowing from the inside out.

When this is the case, it’s not only a physical beauty, but a spiritual one as well. You feel good inside, you’re centered and balanced, and you are at peace and ease. And that comes through. May even be somewhat contagious, helping induce a similar state in others when they’re in proximity. Call it pleasant vibes or aura.  

It is thorough work, though. Suppressing, denying and ignoring won’t do. If there is something bothering you, it must be addressed. Exposed and acknowledged. Maybe you can’t fix everything fully, but at least enough to outshine any foul moods and states that these issues may be causing in you.

You must tend to your body, yes, but also to your mind, to your heart, and to your spirit. Tend to the physiological but also to the psychological. And that might be your biggest flex - to be so thoroughly taken care of that there is nothing to envy in others or resent them for. You are feeling great about yourself and what else is there to worry about when you’re in optimal shape?

Unfortunately, though, some of the worst people you’ll meet will be drawn to you when you’re at your best. And if you’re not careful, if you don’t fiercely protect yourself, your energy and your whole being, along with your lifestyle, they could drain and destroy you to the point where you’ll become unrecognizable. These are people who feed off you and/or who just despise that you vibrate so high and have so much of what they lack. Some of them may not even seem like it, they may look like they have it even better than you. But if they operate with malice and disregard for your wellbeing, chances are that they do not.

You may be accused of being “stuck up” because you are confident and secure in yourself, enough to not get too close or invested in what damages you, and likely many others who also cared genuinely about you, so arduously worked towards. Let them and keep your head high.

Retrieving Your Spark

You let yourself go and you wish to get back to yourself? That can be done. It might not be an overnight job, but you’ll get there after taking the required steps.

If, for whatever reason(s), you find yourself somewhere you’d rather not be, grab a pen and a notebook (tangible, to give yourself off-screen and grounding time, and/or virtual, as the convenience of the extra features available can go a long way) and start taking notes. It’ll help you identify, outline, and break apart what is happening and what has to be done to remedy it.

It may be that you’re disconnected from yourself, from what really makes you come alive, what fulfills you and takes you closer to your self-actualization. And it may be that you’ve overlooked the importance of tending to the little, yet essential, self-care tasks that keep you in shape, running smoothly and safely, which eventually hinders all. Maybe you pushed yourself too far, too.

You can take your notes however it is best for you. But one approach to it would be the following:

- Note everything that is currently wrong or off.

- Note what of that is within your reach to fix.

- Note what is messing them up and what could sort them out.

- Note your priorities, which issues you will tackle first and which afterwards.

- Note your timeframe (though remind yourself that you can be flexible) for having them settled.

Depending on how much there is to work on, it could be anything from a week to years. However, don’t let that discourage you. The mere act of getting yourself on track to make progress is already rewarding. Wouldn’t choose to just give up on yourself, would you?

Some of us had it especially tough because we had to undo years and years of harmful treatment and conditioning, breaking cycles and habits, examining beliefs. And we would have to get to know ourselves because we didn’t get a chance to before (or are called to do so more thoroughly). In order to have a shot at becoming and being our own glowing selves. Hence, retrieving your spark might not be so readily on sight and instead get tricky, to say the least. However, once you learn and know how to bring it about, it gets easier to do for other instances in which you later lose it. Then you might, as well, be able to steadily maintain it.

The Glow Down

It is true, it shows on the outside what is going on in the inside. If you’re in circumstances, situations, or relationships that are more stressful than they are relieving, it will be reflected. Not only psychologically, but also physically.

Your skin might dry out, you might get acne, your hair could fall out, or it may thin and gray, you could start putting on weight, inflammation here and there, along with dark circles around your eyes, or even a pale “dead” look. Along all that, you might not even find it in yourself to take as much care of yourself as you otherwise would.

And while many of these consequences are reversible, they can still take a lot to get rid of once they’ve begun. What’s worse, though, is that some can be permanent. You can literally age faster when put under severe stress. And that’s without touching the very real damage that it can cause to your brain.

So you may call it vanity or what you will, but this is part of why hanging and sticking around people and places that strain you isn’t recommendable. You don’t get a badge of honor for enduring detrimental treatment or labor. What you get is your suffering reflected on you.

Sure, we can’t always be chasing absolute bliss, pushing away and shutting out everything and everyone who isn’t that for us. But we can seek to reduce and counter those moments that take a toll on us. Setting clear boundaries and making room for nourishing activities, having no reluctance to ignore and dismiss any guilt-tripping that could come our way about it.

Some people are martyrs and expect you to be too. And some people are abusers and expect you to allow abuse. Neither should have a say on what you do and don’t do with your life. It is the people who yearn to see you doing well, and who even help you move toward this, whose opinions matter.

We don’t always realize when we’re pushing beyond what we can properly handle, probably being caught up in the frenzy of tending to whatever it is that’s consuming us. So when these things start to happen, when you’re glowing down, they can be taken as symptoms to realize that a change is required.

Leeches but Also...

You would (mistakenly) think that, with all these leeches that show up wherever there is abundance or abundance in the making, it is all that is out there. But it is not.

There are also those who come to be a part of it and give their best, who honor and support it within their abilities, to make it even grander. As though devoted to building something greater than themselves alone.

They bring encouragement, guidance, insight, relief, and even protection. BESIDES fulfilling their own roles. And so much MORE.

Didn't Sign Up for That (Extortion & Exploitation)

You’ll be baffled by the type of things people would do to you. If you have a pure heart and good intentions toward others, you will often be shocked. And even as someone who’s barely semi-decent with others, you’re in for many (unpleasant) surprises.

We tend to assume, even while trying to be conscious and aware, that others are as considerate, or at least as logical, as we are. So when they hit us with an unexpected twist of events, something that broke the script you had assigned for how something was supposed to go, and even goes outside any other plausible possibilities, you might be left speechless. People can be indifferent, harsh, and cruel beyond anything we’ve already envisioned.

Maybe they’re in a complicated situation, maybe they had a rough day, maybe it’s just what they know so far, but, deep down, they’re still good or wish to be good. Yet, maybe not. At times, people are simply concerned with only themselves. It’s this type of people that make firm boundaries and strict rules a requirement in life. Law enforcement, even. They would not find it in themselves to genuinely be kind to others. They would only perform as such under the pressure of severe punishment or the allure of grand reward.

Someone who wants to take advantage of you isn’t so easily recognized. More likely than not, they have been doing this for much of their lives and have experience with what does and doesn’t work on and around others. So give yourself grace if you can’t immediately tell who’s who.

Nevertheless, you must inform and educate yourself on what constitutes as fair. Refine your understanding of it. Distinguish what you are really obligated to do and what you are due for in a given situation, so that nobody can shame or guilt you into complying with their twisted arrangements. Putting you in a spot where you lose and they win - disproportionately.

It starts with honoring yourself, your needs, your wants, and your limits. Getting it through your whole being that you matter, too. That you were not put in this world to please the worst types of people that exist here. That something doesn’t cease to be right and correct merely because those who are inconvenienced by it would disagree. And that you are (and should be) allowed to be a “nuisance” if it means standing up for yourself.

There may be plenty to factor in and ponder, so arriving at the proper answer(s) within the given circumstances can be difficult, but it is something that cannot be left to people you cannot trust, who do not have your best interests at heart. Ideally, you’d have someone with integrity and expertise to help you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get involved in the subject and grasp it to an extent as well.

Sometimes it's Yours to Snatch, Sometimes it's Not

Lots of things in this world that people aren't really entitled to but believe they are. Then they wanna force it rather than earn it.

Too Much Blah, Blah, Blah (Too Little Action)

Indeed, actions speak louder than words. And it is as if it is precisely because of this very same fact that such a large number of words are often used in an attempt to compensate and cover up for the lack of actually doing what is supposed to be done.

Having long conversations, expressing your thoughts and feelings, getting deep into topics and thoroughly discussing them, all of that is great. What is not great is making promises you don’t intend to keep or continually putting off and going in circles to examine irrelevant details when you should have already arrived at a proper solution or conclusion. This is maddening to anybody who honors their time and wishes to make progress.

If you cannot shut your mouth when you do not have something productive to say, you’ll soon lose the attention of the kind of people who are responsible and committed. Or, at the very least, lose their respect, whether they tell you or not.

In an era where most crave attention and lack discipline, talking and talking, without necessarily getting anywhere, seems to be the answer. It is becoming more and more commonplace. Not just a matter of being outgoing vs. being reserved. And it can get outrageous with the tactics employed to keep you engaged.

It is very probable that you will encounter and be in proximity to people like this. Maybe it won’t bother you as much or maybe it will. It may seem harmless, be flattering even, but it can ultimately test your patience to no end - especially when you’ve already stated that you’d rather get moving. You might find yourself asking, begging, demanding, or even shouting and crying in desperation while being repeatedly disregarded with lame excuses or more empty promises. It is humiliating. You’d feel foolish and played.

So do you turn into them, too? Please, no. Instead, set the example or simply exist as one of the few who can still be counted on. Attention isn’t so difficult to get that you’d have to turn to future-faking, stalling, or even love-bombing. Have and show substance. Speak when your actions already reflect what you’re saying. And if entertaining and bouncing ideas is all you’d like to do, then present that as such, not as a reality.

Leo's Season

♌ LEO

As we enter the season of Leo, it is believed that the universe will be affecting us with energies that will cause us to embrace creativity and radiate confidence. We will be more in tune with our self-expression, and abilities to lead and inspire will be enhanced. If you are receptive to them, you might be imbued with enthusiasm and charisma. If you are resistant to them, you might be conflicted with pride and a need for validation. If you are completely blocked out, you might not notice them at all. And if you don't pay enough attention, you might miss opportunities to shine and inspire others.

Motivational Quote: "Let your light shine brightly."

For context and more of relevance, please read about The Zodiac.