Gaea's

Archive for 2009

Here’s some reading for you on New Year’s Day – thought I’d have a look around on the internet and see what psychics, corporations and others are predicting / have predicted for 2010 – firstly have you worked out to say it?

Are you going to say twenty ten or two thousand and ten? They say “older people” will say two thousand and ten because it’s the more correct form whereas as younger, trendier people and others will say twenty ten. Me, I’ve been saying twenty ten – not because I’m younger, trendier or other, but simply because everyone else says it – much easier sometimes when everyone is saying the same thing.

There seems to be 2 common themes to the predictions I came across – the first being that World War 3 will start in 2010 and the second that the world will become more whole and more conscious.  I vote for the “whole world” theme. Also, there are some great IT trends to watch.

I love the following prediction “Barack Obama expresses an interest in holistic healing and ‘world healing’ becomes a dominant theme and key phrase to his 2010 speeches. He brokers a historic deal between Israel and the Palestinians”. I think Barak Obama has an extraordinary role to play in the world we live in if he can rise to the challenge. Read the rest of this entry »

Parshat Vayechi, the last in the first Sefer (book) of Bereishit, is where Yaakov (Jacob) gives all of his sons their blessings.

Ironically, though, Yaakov starts with the blessings for Ephraim and Menashe, who were Yosef’s sons that were born to him in Egypt. It all started when Yosef found out that Yaakov was sick (48:1), Yosef “.took his two sons with him.” (presumably to bring them to Yaakov, although it doesn’t say that anywhere). When Yosef and his sons got there, Yaakov “strengthened himself” (48:5) (which also seems strange), sat up on the bed, and told Yosef that his two sons would now be considered like Yaakov’s children, and will get a portion in the land just like the rest of the brothers. Yaakov then called over the 2 children, placed his hands on their heads, and started blessing YOSEF, giving him the famous “Hamalach” blessing (48:16), that the angel that protected Yaakov from evil should also protect Yosef’s sons, and that Yaakov’s name should be associated with them, along with Avraham and Yitzchak, and they should multiply in the land. All these events seem inconsistent, unless we understand what they all mean…

When Yaakov got sick, the Torah doesn’t say that Yosef brought his sons to Yaakov, but that Yosef took his sons with him! What it could mean is not that Yosef brought his sons physically to Yaakov, but that Yosef kept them close to himself, so that they wouldn’t be spiritually influenced by their non-Jewish surroundings! Yaakov recognized this, which is why he felt strengthened when Yosef came to him with his sons. That’s also why when Yaakov claimed the sons as his own, he made sure to stress that it was those two sons that were born in EGYPT (48:5), because their greatness and Yosef’s greatness was that they were Jews DESPITE living in Egypt. And finally, although his hands were on the two sons, Yaakov’s blessing was that Yosef’s children, and anyone who has to live in a non-Jewish world, should be protected throughout history so that we can all be proudly called the children of Avraham and Yitzchak. But it won’t happen unless we learn to put our hands on their heads and guide the next generation! The adults have a duty to take along and guide the kids, and the children have an equal responsibility to let themselves be guided!

I recently had to buy a wedding gift and like most people it would seem, wasn’t sure what to buy.  It’s quite interesting to see what the modern interpretation of the traditional gift is. I’m not sure that I agree with the modern gift of groceries for the 44^th anniversary though. Read the rest of this entry »

A stimulant, RED is the hottest of the warm colours. Studies show that red can have a physical effect, increasing the rate of respiration and raising blood pressure which makes the heart beat faster. The colour Red plays an integral part in many cultures because of its intensity and passion. In China, red in the colour of celebration and good luck, in India it is the colour of integrity and in South Africa, red is associated with mourning. Red is bold and demonstrates a clear message of the emotions or situations it is associated it. Red typically symbolizes passion, strength, bravery, danger, energy, fire, sex, love, romance, excitement, speed, heat, arrogance, ambition, leadership, courage, masculinity, power, danger, gaudiness, blood, war, anger, revolution, radicalism, Communism, aggression, respect, martyrs, the Holy Spirit, conservatism (US politics), Liberalism (Canadian politics), wealth (China), marriage (India) and the color of the devil in modern Western culture.

Combining Red with GREEN at Christmas symbolises a joyful celebration. Not only is the colour of money green, but the colour of nature is Green – Christmas trees, Holly….  It is a color that soothes and calms which offsets the stronger colour Red.  Green symbolizes intelligence, nature, spring, fertility, youth, environment, wealth, money, good luck, vigor, generosity, nature, coldness, cunning, jealousy, perverseness (Spain), deceit, disgrace (China), illness, greed, corruption (North Africa), life eternal, air, earth (classical element), sincerity, Cancer (star sign), renewal, natural abundance, growth, health, August, balance, harmony, stability, calming, creative intelligence and Islam.

WHITE is the color that represents purity, neutrality, peace, sterility and youth. White is known for symbolizing light, reverence, purity, truth, snow, peace, innocence, cleanliness, simplicity, security, humility, sterility, winter, coldness, surrender, fearfulness, unimaginative, air, death (in Eastern cultures), life, marriage (in Western cultures), hope, bland, empty (interior) and January (winter).

A touch of GOLD…. Because gold is a precious metal, the colour gold is associated with wealth and prosperity, but I’d suggest that wealth at Christmas should not be viewed in terms of money, but rather, as the richness of love and family.

Thank you Wikipedia for some info, and thank you for the image – the colours are a perfect match for the blog – the white spiral really works well

Birthstone:       Turquoise  is both a protective crystal and it enables verbal communication.

Birth flower:     Narcissus, also known as Daffodil (symbolizes respect, modesty and faithfulness).

Sagittarius (23 November – 21 December):  Ruled by Jupiter. A mutable fire sign, Sagittarius energy can be used for optimism, fresh perspectives, long-distance travel and house moves, creative ventures and expanding horizons.

Capricorn (22 December – 20 January): Ruled by Saturn. Capricorn is a cardinal Earth sign.  Use Capricorn energy for ambitions, perseverance, loyalty and for the acquisition of money.

All month:                    Look to the future

See my blog for more on the above.

The phrase “once in a blue moon” is more than just an expression – a blue moon is the name given to an actual phenomenon. The use of the phrase blue moon to indicate an actual astronomical phenomenon first started in 1932 with the Maine Farmer’s Almanac.  Its definition was a season with four full moons rather than the usual three, where the third of four full moons would be called a “blue moon.” Since seasons are established by the equinoxes and solstices and not calendar months, it is possible for a year to have twelve full moons, one each month, yet have one season with four. Read the rest of this entry »

I had to deal with a really unpleasant event during this past week, something that had me querying whether honesty is seen in the same way by everyone. I understand honesty to mean not lying, cheating or taking unfair advantage. So,  I went online and looked at several definitions – truthfulness and sincerity are closely linked to honesty and are sometimes used interchangeably although there are fundamental differences.  According to brainyquote.com, honesty is “The quality or state of being honest; probity; fairness and straightforwardness of conduct, speech, etc.; integrity; sincerity; truthfulness; freedom from fraud or guile.”

Reflecting on the above definition, I can conclude that the other person was dishonest because he was not free of fraud or guile and his conduct was certainly not straightforward. Read the rest of this entry »

Card: 5

Divination:

This is time to test your courage. There may be some legal battles to be fought. There may be a lot of conflicts and a period of struggle. You may get frustrated with the minor problems but this can be overcome with some patience and conviction. You may also face stiff competition from your rivals.

Key Words: Struggle, Frustration, Irritation, Quarrel, Aggressiveness, Conflicts, Competition

In this week’s Parsha, Vayetzei, we can learn an incredible lesson.

The Torah relates how when Leah had her fourth son, Rachel became envious. The obvious question is why wasn’t Rachel jealous when Leah has her first three sons. As Living Each Week explains, Leah named her first three sons based on her emotions; that 1) now her husband will love her, and 2) now she won’t be disliked, and 3) now my husband will have to help me. But it is the fourth one that got to Rachel. When Leah named her son “Because now I can be grateful to G-d”, that’s when Rachel became envious. Rachel realized that she couldn’t achieve the same level of gratitude to G-d that Leah could. How incredible a virtue! To want to have a reason to thank Hashem, just for the sake of thanking Him.

And then there’s us… We have three chances a day to thank G-d through prayer, but do we? And if/when we do daven (pray), is it with enough meaning/concentration? Are we as grateful as we should be even when we DO have a reason? We can all emulate Rachel’s desire to show gratitude by studying prayers, learning about ourselves from them, and improving ourselves THROUGH them.

Parshat Toldot tells the story of Yaakov (Jacob) and Esav, two brothers that couldn’t be any more different. When their father Yitzchok (Isaac) decides that it’s time to bless his two sons, Yaakov ends up getting the better of the two blessings. In comparing the two blessings, though, the Chafetz Chaim points out a very interesting

observation: When Yaakov gets the blessing, the Torah says “And may G-d give you of the dew of the heavens and of the fatness of the earth” (27:28). However, when Esav gets his blessing, Yitzchok says “Behold, of the fatness of the earth shall be your dwelling and of the dew of the heavens from above” (27:39). Why was the order of the fatness and the dew reversed? Read the rest of this entry »