Welcome to my monthly blog where I create a simple intention based on a monthly card reading with you (my community) in mind. If this intention resonates with you, feel free to use it as a focus for this month (or whatever time frame suits your fancy)!
Some things to keep in mind when using an intention:
- Write it down and put it where you can see it regularly (bathroom mirror, desk, beside table, wallet, etc).
- Say it several times a day clearly affirming it - you can stand in a power pose (like running across the finish line), hands on hips (like Wonder Woman), placing your hands on your heart, or even doing a little dance. Whatever makes you feel like this intention is possible when you say it, then do that!
- Practice your favourite Yoga Nidra meditation that allows you to state your intention during the practice. When the mind and body are relaxed, your mind is much more susceptible to suggestions, so this can help make this intention become true for you even quicker than by doing it on a conscious level alone.
- If you haven't done so already, you can sign up to receive access to listen to my free Yoga Nidra meditation here.
March Intention Setting Reading
1st Card - A LEG UP
This card invites you to ask for and be willing to receive help. Having "a leg up" can help you to accomplish tasks more easily and can give you more time to do things that can nourish and support you. When you're bogged down by commitments and a to "do list" higher than Mount Everest, you don't make time for fun or self-care. Even taking a bath seems like too much wasted time.
2nd Card - Knight of PENTACLES
It looks like you've been diligently hard at work with little time for yourself. You're in the weeds of work, family and commitments, but not having a lot of fun. While work is important and necessary, what small steps are you taking to do more for you? The horse is this image isn't moving towards anything creative. But the figure on top of the horse is wearing pointe shoes which can indicate a passion for something other than your work at this time. Think about something you're passionate about and take one step in that direction.
3rd Card - KING of CUPS (Female)
Have you been busy nurturing others? If somebody needs help with something, or a shoulder to cry on, you're there! You provide a sense of emotional stability to others and even when the waters are rough, you find a safe space so they can sail their ship in calm waters. You are strong and nurturing. But......are you making time for your own nurturing? This King teaches you how to truly love and accept yourself as you are. This card is inviting you to seek out nurturing and compassionate practices for yourself! It's your turn to seek support from someone else who has your best interests in mind. How can you get help to nurture your own emotions and feel more stable and secure where you are? How can you love and accept yourself in this moment without changing a thing?
4th Card - THREE of WANDS
Once you've made the choice to ask/receive help, it's time to welcome and get ready for the opportunities that await! The Three of Wands shows you that once you've made the choice (to do something adventurous rather than staying in your comfort zone), you're on the lookout for the ship to sail in! In this case, the ship is to make time for things that nurture you (including having some fun). Look for opportunities to gather with those you love (maybe family, or a night with your best friends). This could also be about making a plan to set some time aside each day for self-care. The Three of Wands is about patience (not everything has to happen over night) and sticking to your plans. Be ready for opportunities (even though you may not be sure what they are just yet). You're on the lookout now for some fun and you're ready for some good ol' fashioned self-care!
A little extra insight.....
Water is a theme that is present in this reading when you look at the images in the cards. When you think of the element of water, it's flexible, fluid and ebbs and flows. It doesn't let obstacles get in its way, rather, it easily and naturally flows around them instead of trying to force its way through them. It's time to balance your inner water element by practicing self-care that makes you feel nurtured and calm. Water also helps you to flow through life with grace. This could be a time to let go of trying to control every situation, and just "go with the flow".
questions you can contemplate: 🤔
- Where in my life do I need more help?
- If it's hard for me to ask for help, why might that be?
- How can I nurture myself more?
- What self-care practices will help me feel more loving and accepting of myself?
- Where in my life is there flow?
- What do I find fun and how can I do more of that?
If you enjoyed this post, consider booking a live session with me (via zoom) or an email card reading.
BTW - If you're not on my email list, make sure you're on it so you don't miss a thing. As a thank you, you'll receive access to my FREE Yoga Nidra meditation designed for deep relaxation. I promise to never spam you or sell/share your email address (cause that's just not nice) and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Cards from this reading:
Card 1 - Wisdom of the Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid
Cards 2, 3, 4 - Tarot of Mystical Moments by Catrin Welz-Stein
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
MUSSELS IN GARLIC, WHITE WINE AND ROSÉ SAUCE WITH RED PEPPERS AND ONIONS
If you love mussels, then this easy recipe is a must try! This is a definite go to for a quick and flavourful seafood dish without the hassle of long preparations and fussy ingredients. Quite frankly, I just wing it, but then had to document my steps and quantities so that I could create this recipe to share with other seafood aficionados!
My love affair with seafood is most likely because of my Portuguese background. I grew up eating seafood simmered in white wine, garlic, onions, parsley and hot pepper paste. Thinking about it makes my mouth water. This particular recipe isn't necessarily a Portuguese dish. I've added a few extra ingredients to make it richer and saucier (yes, that's a word - haha).
I normally serve these mussels over linguine, but of course, you can have them on their own. Just make sure you have something to soak up the sauce (your favourite pasta and/or crusty fresh bread is a match made in heaven). Once all of the mussels are gone, my husband Steve finishes the sauce with a spoon like he's eating soup!
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 yellow onion sliced thin
- 1 red pepper sliced thin
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 798 ml of good quality roma tomatoes in sauce
- (can be whole, diced or chopped)
- 1 TBSP Portuguese hot pepper paste or 1/2 tsp red pepper
- flakes
- 1 TSP salt (or to taste)
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup 35% whipping cream
- Approximately 3 lbs of fresh mussels rinsed and cleaned (discard any open or broken mussels before adding to sauce)
INSTRUCTIONS
Over medium heat, add olive oil to a large dutch oven or large pot. Add onion and pepper and stir occasionally until onions become translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and parsley to the pot and keep mixing for about 30 seconds to ensure garlic doesn't burn.
Carefully add white wine and simmer for about 5-10 minutes over medium heat until alcohol has evaporated and wine has reduced. Add tomatoes, hot pepper paste (or flakes), salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover with lid and let simmer over medium to low heat for about 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. If you are serving this dish with pasta, boil the water for your pasta at this point and cook pasta according to directions.
Once sauce has reduced, if desired, take a hand held blender and puree the sauce just a bit to thicken and combine even more. This step is optional, but I like to blend the sauce to incorporate the flavours and break up the tomatoes. Check for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Add whipping cream and allow to come to a gentle boil. Add the cleaned and rinsed mussels and cover for about 10-12 minutes. Stir mussels occasionally.
Once mussels are open, it's time to eat! They don't take long to cook so make sure you don't over cook them or they become a rubbery consistency..... and that's no bueno......Discard any unopened mussels.
Bon appetit!
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
These delicious pumpkin orange muffins are a must-try recipe that will satisfy your taste buds all year round. Made with the perfect blend of pumpkin, orange, and warm spices, these muffins are easy to make and will bring a touch of autumn to any day.
To make these muffins, you'll need simple ingredients like flour, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and more. You can even add a touch of Young Living Orange essential oil for an extra burst of flavor. Just make sure to use a trusted brand, like Young Living, that is safe for cooking and baking.
Once the batter is mixed, divide it into muffin cups and bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes. When they come out, you'll be greeted with lightly golden brown muffins that are ready to be enjoyed.
So, whether it's pumpkin spice season or not, give these pumpkin orange muffins a try and indulge in their deliciousness. And if you're in need of some relaxation, don't forget to check out the free Yoga Nidra Guided meditation linked below.
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Everyone has within them the same bright light. This light is pure love and is the essence of who you truly are. What makes us different, is how brightly we allow our light to shine. We dim this light by the layers of emotions we carry and experience. Anger, resentments, blame, criticism....all of these emotions dim our light on the outside like heavy cloaks. When you stand in your truth and lead in love, these layers fall away and allow the light to shine brighter. When your light shines brighter, it impacts those around you for they can see and feel your light.
If your light is dim, take the time to nurture yourself, have compassion for yourself and others and heal the wounds that dim your light. Let your light shine brightly through acts of kindness, compassion and love for yourself and others. Go forth and shine brightly.
With love,
Bonnie
Bonnie
By the way...if you need some relaxation in your life, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
The notion of loving thyself is a powerful message. How can you love others when you do not love yourself? Do you know that you are a spiritual being having a human experience? There is only love. When you deny yourself of this love, you deny yourself your own truth which is love. We are all connected in this Universe and when you lead with love, you bring more love into your life. When you feel "bad", your Inner Being isn't joining your "party" because all your Inner Being knows is love. This is your guidance system and a way of knowing if you are living your truth or straying away from it.
You needn't fill this void of lack of love with anything else as all you need is already within you. You don't have to search for this love on the outside because it exists on the inside. Your outside world is a reflection of your inner world. If you use the scales as an example, what weighs more? How you love yourself and show love to others, or is it how you blame yourself and others for your life experience?
You are encouraged to tip the scales in favour of love. Love for yourself and love for all. Put your hand on your heart centre and feel the magnificence of the love emanating from inside of you. You can feel this. It is energy. Love is energy! How would your life be different if you lead your life from love? What is your dominant view of yourself and others? Is it love, or blame, judgement and criticism?
Love more, blame less. Love more, judge less. Love and praise more and criticize less. As humans, we love to blame others for how our lives turned out. What does that make you? A victim of other people's action. You are encouraged to take back the reigns on your life and tell a new story. Where you are now is only a point in time. If you keep thinking about the past and blaming and judging yourself for where you are now, the past will continue to repeat itself. You have the ability to change your life course with your thoughts and actions going forward.
People who love themselves do not feel the need to criticize or harm others emotionally or physically. People who behave this way do not understand the path of love and light. But you are awakening to this notion that love is the only way forward to your desires. This love starts with you. Do not wait to look and feel a certain way to begin to love yourself. Treat yourself with the respect and dignity that you deserve. You are worthy no matter how people have made you feel in the past. But in order to feel worthy you must treat yourself with kindness and love.
Those who "make" you feel unworthy, feel unworthy themselves. Break this pattern. The only way you can is to know your worth. You are worthy because you are here. We are all worthy. No one is more worthy than the other even if you believe it is so. When you place judgements on others, this is a reflection of the judgements you place on yourself. When you see the faults in others, you see the faults in yourself. When you see the world through the eyes of God, source, love, you recognize the love in yourself. Remember this always!
Be the light and shine that light brightly. Your world will change and your perceptions will begin to change. Lead in love. Come from a place of love and see how life will begin to unfold for you. You are lovable as you are. Know your worth for your Inner Being knows this. Connect with your truth that is love and go forth and live your life best life. Your life is based on your thoughts and perceptions. You are surrounded by so much love. Allow the love to enter your body and soul. There is so much love for you here.
With love,
Bonnie
Bonnie
By the way...if you need some relaxation in your life, click the link below to get access to my FREE Yoga Nidra Guided meditation for relaxation.
The information presented here is for entertainment and informational purposes only. The information in this post is subject to interpretation and is an expression of opinion. It is not intended for, and does not replace professional, medical, legal, business, and/or health related opinions and advice. It is not a substitute for counselling or any other type of therapy, or medical advice from qualified professionals.
