This Thing Called You, Chapter 10

This Thing Called You, Chapter 10

Who loses his life shall find it.” Since the whole teaching of Jesus was that God is Life, he could not have meant that you should actually lose your life, but that you should let go of the lesser in order to experience the greater. This is not a bad bargain. If you lose a sense of unhappiness you will become happy. If you lose a sense of confusion you will be at peace. If you could become consciously and subjectively aware, even for one moment, of your true spiritual perfection, there would come such a conversion of your mind as instantly to heal your physical body.

This is not the easiest thing to do. When you are in pain it is difficult to affirm peace. When you are in want it is hard to affirm abundance. But this is the true meaning of losing your life. What you lose is a false sense of being. You are trading the unreal for the real, the false for the true. If you wish to be happy, take all unhappiness out of your mind and bury it. If you want God, stop thinking about the devil. If you wish to live in the kingdom of heaven, forget hell.

You are to find the roots of your life in pure Spirit, to see the basic unity of all—the fundamental, mathematical and logical necessity of such a unity. Lose your sense of being separated from your good and you will find that you are united with it.

This is the secret you have with the God who is ever with you. He already knows what you are trying to find out. The next time any obstacle appears on your path, try to realize that it is not an entity, person or self-created condition. It is not true to the larger life within you. Satisfy your mind that it is not a thing in itself. Cease fighting it and begin to realize its opposite. Know there are no obstructions in Spirit and that you already are Spirit. Begin to identify yourself with the Truth which knows no obstruction. Begin to claim your divine inheritance.

When everyone believed the world to be flat they did not flatten the round world. When one man made up his mind that the world was really round, he did not resist the flat world because he knew there was no such world. He set out to sail around the world he knew to be round. Through his act of faith he discovered the truth about the round world. The fear and superstition of others did not deter him. The accumulated experience of the race could not bind him. The belief that the unknown oceans were filled with monsters did not frighten him. He knew the world was round and that he could sail around it.

You have discovered the spiritual universe. Many others have discovered this same world, but each must make the discovery for himself. You are going to have a lot of joy sailing around this world of yours. Don’t fight the opinions of others, or waste your time arguing over these things. Follow the inward gleam of your consciousness and you will arrive.

Whatever you identify yourself with you will become like. Whatever you resist until you make it a reality, you will also become like. Therefore, “…resist not evil and it will flee from you.” Don’t fight your fears, see through them. There is nothing in God’s world to be afraid of. 

Jesus spent little time in negative thought—only enough to see through it, to reverse the false sense of life with a true realization of man’s union with God. This glorious figure, like a shaft of light, shot across the bewildered consciousness of man, proving every claim he made, leaving behind him a breath of heaven, fragrant with love. As he identified himself with the Source of his being, so you must identify yourself with that Spirit which is ever with you.

Remember the little boy who brought a few loaves and fishes, all the food there was in that vast multitude crying out for bread. The disciples of Jesus identified the possibility of being fed only with the meagre amount in the boy’s pocket. Jesus identified the loaves and fishes with Eternal Substance, forever flowing, manna from heaven. Does not the boy symbolize a childlike faith and expectancy, the vision so newly born from the Kingdom of God? Can you not imagine his countenance shining with joy, his eyes glistening with inward vision? Can you not imagine his enthusiasm as he passed his small offering into the hands of love which multiplied his idea through God’s law of abundance?

Jesus and the little boy had faith, the childlike consciousness which had not been caught in the prison walls of experience—the little boy, and the man who had grown to full spiritual stature. Giving thanks, the bread was broken, the loaves were multiplied, the fish were distributed, the multitude was fed.

Nothing has happened to Reality since that little boy brought the loaves and fishes to Jesus. God has not changed, nature has not changed, law has not changed, truth has not changed. Where shall you look for this man and this little boy, for the loaves and fishes? Jesus took the multitude out in the desert. There was no food there, no bakeries. It was far from the shores where fish were caught. Shall you not also look to the desert place of your own thought where it seems most unlikely that you will find substance?

Perhaps the little boy is still standing there with outstretched hands and glistening eyes. Perhaps you are that boy. The man is there also—the man of Divine Wisdom, the God-intended man. Let the little boy hand the few loaves and fishes to this Divine Man within you, while the intellect gives thanks and the Spirit performs its miracle of love.

Your search is after something great enough to lose your littleness in, something within you worthy of immortality and eternal expansion. The world has not looked for God where He may be found. Here is the great secret. There is only one God, one Divine Mind. This One is undivided, hence all of It is present everywhere.

God is not only where you are, He is what you are. In a sense, you might say, “Since God is all there is, the only Presence there is, and since the Spirit is manifest through everything, then everything I see is a manifestation of God. That within me which enables me to see, know and understand this, also is God. Since God does not go in search after Himself, I need no longer go in search after Him. Rather, I shall now live and think from the union which I already have.

Your endeavor is not to locate the Divine Presence or awaken the activity of the Law. It is, rather, to become aware of this Presence and of Its activity flowing through you.

It will be well to consider the difference between outlining and choosing. As an individual, you have the right to choose. Being an individual, you cannot escape the necessity of choice. You are not an automaton. You are not a mental mechanism. You are not merely an aggregation of mental reactions. You are a person, a divine being in your own right. The Spirit has set the stamp of individuality upon Itself and called it you. What God has done you cannot undo. When you think, it is the Divine Mind in you willing Itself into action, thinking Itself into manifestation, realizing Itself as the object of Its own thought.

You do the choosing, the Law does the outlining. This is the distinction between choice and outline. If you choose to plant a tomato seed you have chosen a tomato plant, but you do not outline how many leaves shall grow on the plant, how many stalks it shall have. That belongs to the Law of cause and effect.

When you say, “I know that the Divine Intelligence is attracting certain conditions to me,” and when you have affirmed your union with good, you can go about the business of everyday life with no sense of anxiety, knowing that the Law is working for you. The Law can only operate on your images of thought since the Law is a doer and not a knower. Therefore, it is up to you to keep these images clear that they may reflect themselves in the Law, which is a mirror. 

You have been told that you should fast and pray. Perhaps true fasting is a determination no longer to entertain negative thoughts, perhaps it means continually to be affirming the good. The act of physical fasting is merely a symbol of this inward grace. The need for the symbol disappears when you understand its meaning. It is a good practice to fast, so far as the negative is concerned, and feast on affirmations only. Why not fast from the idea of lack and feast on the idea of abundance? In no way does this mean that you need withdraw from the world and its activities. You should enter into these activities with a new sense of reality, with a penetrating spiritual vision which sees through the effect to its cause and knows this cause to be good. You will be practicing an uncommon common sense, a spiritual common sense, so rare and so creative that the only man who ever completely tried it was mistaken for God.

It is certain that you must fast from fear if you wish to establish faith. You must fast from confusion if you hope to enter into tranquility. It matters not if your transition from the negative into the affirmative seems slow, if the ascent from your valley of negation to the mountain top of realization seems difficult. Each step will bring you nearer the summit.

There is a Divine awareness within you which will lead you upward and onward. Prepare yourself for the ascent, then, filling your mental life with spiritual realization. Your bread is manna from heaven, your meat the living word, your fruit the inspiration of hope, your wine the essence of joy. 

You should always expect instantaneous and permanent results from your treatments. Unless you expect such results, you cannot attain them, since your denial of such results would be using the Law in reverse. Practice a complete abandonment to faith. This you must do for yourself. No one else can do it for you. If someone else could do this for you, you would not be you, you would be someone else. You cannot live outside yourself and no one can live for you. You alone can be yourself. Every great soul has known this. This is the greatest of all truths, the apex of all summits. 

When you say that your body is spiritual, you are not denying your physical body. The physical is included within, and is part of, the spiritual universe. You do not say, “I have no eyes, or feet, or stomach.” They are part of the spiritual body.

God’s world is not a world of illusion but of realities. Everything that is exists for the purpose of expressing Life. You are able to recognize the things around you because they are in the same Mind in which you live, the one Mind which is everywhere present. This means the Presence in everything—a tree, a rose, everything in nature, your own physical body. Nothing can be excluded from this omnipresence. It was this Presence that Moses communed with by the burning bush, the Divine Flame which surrounded the bush with an aura of light and color. This flame of Divinity penetrates everything.

If the Spirit has seen fit to express Itself through a physical universe and to give you a physical body, it would be absurd to think of this body or environment as an illusion unworthy of your attention. Rather, you should think of them as things of joy. Know that even the physical universe will respond to you when you respond to it.

Stop blaming anyone or anything—persons, circumstances or situations—for what may be happening to you. This is futile. It is a dead-end road. It is a blind alley. It is a raft adrift on an ocean of uncertainty. Today you are going to take your life in your own hands, realizing God is ever with you. You are going to identify yourself with goodness and with joy. Straight thinking is going to do this for you. Straight thinking may not be the easiest thing in the world, but it is possible for anyone.

This Thing called You, Chapter 10,

Ernest Holmes

This Thing Called You, Chapter 9

This Thing Called You, Chapter 9

If you wish to know the truth about your business or your profession, know that it is an activity of good. It is an activity of your partnership with the Infinite. The business of life is to be happy, active and whole; to express the Divine Life with joy and in fulfillment.

Lift the load of personal responsibility by transferring it to the Law of perfect action. No matter what confronts you, what obstructions appear or what undesirable situations exist in your experience, this Law can dissolve them.

This Law knows neither big nor little. It is like nature’s law of gravitation which holds a feather to the surface of the earth and also holds the mountain steadfast. It does not say, “Behold, I am strong in one place and weak in another.” It does not ask you to weigh the mountain or the feather. Throw a small pebble over a cliff and at the same time roll a giant boulder into space—each will find its way to earth. The law of gravitation works automatically on big and little.

So it is with your problems. Don’t think some of them are hard and others easy. Shift the load of those which appear weighted, as well as those which appear light, into the Law of action. Big and little are swallowed up in one comprehensive whole. Who can say that the blossoming of a rose in the desert is of less importance to the Divine Imagination than the building of an empire?

You exist that Divine feeling, fire, imagination and creativity may be expressed through you. The Spirit comes to you with a new and fresh creativity. You need not ask what others have done or how they have done it. Be yourself and express life as you find it. Never imitate. Trust the self. Find the self in God and God in the self.

Thought has a cumulative power. If you daily say to yourself that your word uproots and casts out every thought of fear or uncertainty, it will surely do so.

There is a pattern of perfection at the center of your being which has never been touched by disease or misfortune. Your intellect senses this through intuition, your imagination feels it by divine right, your inward consciousness knows it through faith. What you are trying to do is to awaken your whole being to spiritual awareness.

It is the intellect and the subconscious self which need renewing. The Spirit neither sleeps nor slumbers. The Spirit is God. Any maladjustments in your life will be healed when you realize this perfect center within yourself. The vision you must catch and hold is the consciousness of a union so complete and perfect that you find no difference between your own being and God. The two are one.

What thought has planted, thought can uproot. The conditions laid down by mental attitudes, whether or not you are conscious of them, can be changed. If you are experiencing some condition which is unhappy, you must know there is nothing in you that attracts this condition, nothing in you that holds it in place, nothing in you that believes it must be this way. Turn your mind entirely from the condition and think in an exactly opposite manner.

In actual practice, you reverse the old thought patterns by definitely knowing that they can no longer operate through you. This is more than a theory. Thoughts of peace will reverse thoughts of confusion. A consciousness of faith will reverse fear. It is now known that fear and discouragement, the feeling of unworthiness and inferiority, as well as a sense of uncertainty about one’s relationship to God, probably start with an unconscious sense of rejection. Out of this comes the sense of uncertainty, fear of the future, the anxiety complex, the insecurity attitude, the feeling of not being wanted, the sense of guilt.

These thought patterns are more or less laid down in every man’s life. Your business is not to bother about where they came from but to know how to get rid of them.

The Spirit is neither sad nor depressed. If you would catch the vision of the joy which should be yours, you must dry your tears, you must lay aside your fears, you must think from the inspirational center within you which is nothing less than the Divine in you singing Its song of life.

The wick of your individual life runs deep into the oil of pure Being. There is but One Life and that Life is your life now. No matter what confusion appears at the surface of your life, there is always a place of calm at the center of your being. No matter how turbulent the waves may be on the ocean of your experience, beneath there is a changeless peace. Your being is submerged but not lost in the Infinite.

When you become confused, stop and listen to your inner calm. Turn from the confusion to that deeper something within. 

You will find that the confusion disappears. The light which the storm seemed to have extinguished again becomes steady. Peace comes from a sense of union with the whole. Confusion comes from a sense of separation. Confusion comes because you are looking only at the surface. If you put a straight stick in a pool of water and then ruffle the surface of the pool, the stick will appear bent. It is not bent, however; it is merely a disturbance at the surface of the water that causes it to appear bent. If you swim under water beneath the disturbed surface and open your eyes, you will see a straight stick. The bent stick really was an illusion.

So it is with confusion. It exists as a condition but not as a reality. The mirage is in your own consciousness. If confusion comes, take your intellect and dive deep into your pool of peace. Through an act of faith open your eyes and you will see that there is no confusion.

Rising above confusion, you affirm the Divine Presence in all Its beauty, power and peace. From this fundamental affirmation your consciousness becomes imbued with a sense of power as well as of peace. You are now in a position to turn to any specific condition of discord, and, speaking with complete authority, to know that your word will reverse it.

The spiritual genius of Jesus lay in his knowledge of spiritual laws. He dared to believe in the invisible Source of his being, and to trust It. He was not frightened by the storm, nor by the fears of others. He could say, “Peace!” to both. He was able to bring the calm of others to the surface. This is “deep calling unto deep.” It is God calling unto God. It is God answering God.

Get it firmly fixed in your consciousness that just as there are laws of physics, there are spiritual and mental laws which act in an identical manner. Have confidence in the laws of Mind and Spirit, and in your ability to use them. Think of them as naturally as you do of other laws of nature.

Your meditation consciously used for definite purposes is a spiritual mind treatment. Your spiritual realization automatically acts upon the Law of Mind which is around you and in you. You will recognize this as the secret of the prayer of faith throughout the ages. It is the secret of the effectiveness of all modern metaphysical movements, no matter what they call themselves. There is no one-and-only way to understand or use the Law of Mind.

Realize that the Divine Presence is ever with you, that there is no place where you leave off and God begins. Here, in quiet confidence and calm peace, make known your desires. They are not prayers in the sense of petition. They are, rather, what Emerson called the thoughts of “a jubilant and a beholding soul.”

When working for yourself say, “I am.” When working for someone else say, “He is,” or “She is.” When you say, “I am,” you are directing your treatment to yourself. When you say, “He is,” or “She is,” you are directing it for someone else.

Your affirmation (prayer of faith or treatment) will reach a level in your experience, or in the experience of those whom you wish to help, equal to the level of realization in your own consciousness when you make your affirmation. It is like water reaching its own level by its own weight. 

Always feel that your treatment (your statement of truth) will meet any condition instantly, while, at the same time, being willing to work patiently until the condition is met. In each separate treatment (or statement of truth) believe that the work is already accomplished. Your treatment is really complete when your entire subjective reaction complies with, responds to, or embodies, the spirit and the meaning of the words you use. Persistence, flexibility and patience are necessary for the best results.

With a good-natured flexibility with yourself, learn to rise from confusion into peace, from sadness into joy. There is no law for you but your own soul shall set it, under the one great Law of all life. Turn to the Light within. Believe in yourself. Have confidence in the high impulsions that come to you. Listen deeply to the Divine Nature which forever more imparts Itself to you. Spirit is absolute, unlimited and ever available. Spirit is right where you are. Spirit fills all space, flows through all form, creates everything, governs everything through love, controls everything through law, expresses life and beauty in everything. 

This Thing called You, Chapter 9,

Ernest Holmes

Transiting Pluto going Stationary Direct over my Descendant

Transiting Pluto going Stationary Direct over my Descendant

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What is the meaning of transiting Pluto, stationary direct opposing my ascendant and conjoining my Mars/Uranus midpoint?

This is a very specific and powerful astrological question! A stationary outer planet aspecting the angles and personal planets is a significant event in any individual's chart.

Since you are asking about the meaning of this transit, I will search for the general interpretation of Pluto opposing the Ascendant and the meaning of the Mars/Uranus midpoint to provide you with the most comprehensive answer possible.

Here are the search queries I will use:

This is an extremely potent and significant transit. The fact that Pluto is stationary direct means its energy is amplified and the themes of the transit are locked into place for an extended period, creating a very focused and unmissable point of transformation.

Here is a breakdown of the meaning of this triple-whammy transit:

1. Transiting Pluto Stationary Direct Opposing the Ascendant

This is a major life-cycle transit that focuses the tremendous power of Pluto on your sense of self, your relationships, and your entire way of being in the world.

Astrological Factor Meaning and Impact

Pluto (Transformation, Power, Death/Rebirth, Unconscious) Pluto's transit demands a radical, fundamental, and complete transformation (a death and rebirth) of the area it touches. The change is irreversible and unyielding.

Stationary Direct (Amplification) The effect of Pluto is greatly intensified. This point in time marks a decisive turning point where the lessons and changes that have been brewing during the retrograde period are now pushed forward into external, tangible reality and conscious action. The feeling of "this must change now" is at its peak.

Opposition to the Ascendant (1st House Cusp) The Ascendant represents your outer personality, physical body, self-image, and the "mask" you present to the world. The opposition highlights the Descendant (7th House Cusp), which rules significant one-on-one relationships (partners, enemies, the public).

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Core Themes: Identity, Relationships, and Power

The combined energy creates an unavoidable process of:

Deep Identity Transformation: The person you have been, your outward persona, is being fundamentally challenged and broken down. You are being "forced" to become a new, more authentic version of yourself. Your physical appearance, mannerisms, and how you project yourself may change dramatically.

Confrontation in Relationships: The opposition aspect means Pluto is sitting on your Descendant. This transit often manifests through intense power struggles, confrontations, or profound transformation within your closest relationships.

External Pressure: Other people (partners, close associates) may act as a mirror, confronting you with your own unconscious patterns and power dynamics.

Attraction of Intensity: You may attract intense, controlling, or "Plutonian" people who force you to face your shadow self, set firm boundaries, and take back your personal power.

The "Death" of a Relationship: Relationships built on inauthentic grounds or outworn power dynamics may end, only to clear the way for deeper, more empowering connections.

Transiting Pluto Conjoining the Mars/Uranus Midpoint

This secondary conjunction creates a specific focus for the Plutonian power drive—it is channeling the theme of sudden, disruptive, and forceful action.

Midpoint Breakdown Meaning and Expression

Mars (Action, Assertion, Drive, Will) Provides the energy, courage, and motivation.

Uranus (Sudden Change, Liberation, Disruption, Revolution) Adds an element of suddenness, surprise, and a need for freedom.

Mars/Uranus Midpoint This natal midpoint combines the energy of volatile, sudden, and potentially explosive action. It is associated with decisive, independent, and perhaps impulsive action, a need for sudden and radical self-assertion, and the potential for breakthroughs or accidents/upheavals due to hasty action.

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The Combined "Planetary Picture"

When transiting Pluto conjoins this midpoint (Pluto = Mars/Uranus), the intense, transformational energy of Pluto activates and magnifies the Mars-Uranus drive.

Volcanic Eruptions of Will: Your suppressed anger, desire for freedom, or revolutionary impulses (Mars/Uranus) are being dredged up from the unconscious and empowered by Pluto. You may feel an almost compulsive urge to act radically and suddenly to change your circumstances.

Sudden, Irreversible Action: There is a high potential for sudden, forceful events that completely alter your life trajectory. This can manifest as an intense drive to break free from restrictive structures (career, relationship, lifestyle) with dramatic finality.

Empowerment of Independent Action: This can be a period where you claim enormous personal power (Pluto) to act as a pioneer or rebel (Uranus) on behalf of your deepest, most authentic desires (Mars). The actions you take during this period will be driven by an unshakeable inner conviction and will permanently change the course of your life.

Caution: This combination can indicate sudden, unexpected power struggles, accidents, or confrontations with authority figures or partners, especially if you try to repress the revolutionary energy building within you.

The Synthesis: A Time of Radical Self-Reinvention

In summary, this is an orchestrated and momentous period where the most profound work of transformation (Pluto) is channeled directly through your identity and key relationships (Opposite Ascendant/Conjunct Descendant) and fueled by an imperative for sudden, decisive, and rebellious action (Conjoining Mars/Uranus Midpoint).

You are at a critical junction where an old version of you is being killed off and a new, more powerful, and authentic self is being forged.

The stationary direct movement means you are now being forced to implement the changes and face the external consequences of the deep internal work that has been (or should have been) occurring.

The pressure will be to assert your freedom and will in a revolutionary way, especially in response to power dynamics or restrictive conditions imposed by others.

The key to navigating this transit is to consciously embrace the "death" of what no longer serves you—in your identity, your boundaries, and your relationships—rather than resisting the powerful, transformative flow.

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Source

Google Gemini

Bringing a Thought into Physical Manifestation

Bringing a Thought into Physical Manifestation

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1)  Avoid chaotic thinking and try to think logically. People who think chaotically are like those who wave their hands in the dark, unaware of the objects they hit. Since we cannot avoid thinking we should at least learn to think in an orderly manner. We are ourselves living thought and it is extremely difficult to control the incessant stream of material, The substance of our consciousness, which flows from our minds into space. If we could we would indeed be supermen. But let us do what we can. As soon as we are aware  of the negative thought, push it out. Replace aimless thoughts with precise ones. Actually they are less tiring. Each person, being different from every other person, should devise his own special pathway of logical thought.

2)  Avoid untruthful or distorted thinking. How many secrets of bad luck can be explained by distorted thinking! Observe, as far as you are able, the consequences of untruthful or distorted thought, sometimes called prejudice. Cease jeopardizing your own future. Stop releasing dark, dangerous’ thoughts, for these come back to you like a boomerang in the form of "bad luck." Here is much traveling dynamite that should be investigated both personally and also on a national scale. Of course, it is not easy to think straight. Most people are so crippled by their unconscious thoughts and prejudices they don't know if they are thinking truthfully or not and when things go wrong they are not aware of the connection.

3)  In addition to correction and counterbalance, adopt a positive attitude. A benediction sent into the world is the purest and finest form of thought energy. Your own projects can grow by benediction. Unfortunately people are usually so beset by personal problems this seldom occurs to them. Their desires for advancement, better social position and the approval of others dominate their thinking in a confused fashion. To ignore these tendencies is impossible, to try to rid one’s self of them is futile. The best course is to try to steer them into better and higher courses. It is a question of direction. The same exterior influences may move you to the same old course of action but when your aim is toward a higher objective your action becomes a move in the right direction. No one becomes perfect overnight and this does not mean you will no longer make mistakes. But as you become aware of the laws of energy and begin to handle the tools of thought with greater competence you will find your whole life changing for the better. You will become happier, better adjusted and more at peace with yourself and others as your power over your environment grows. And it surely will if you sincerely and faithfully follow the directions herein given.

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Wisdom of the Mystic Masters,

Joseph J. Weed

Behavioral Feedback Loop: Late-Night Social Media Scrolling

Behavioral Feedback Loop: Late-Night Social Media Scrolling

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A feedback loop is a system where the output of a process is fed back into the system as input, influencing future behavior and creating a continuous cycle of cause and effect.

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Trigger...You’re lying in bed, maybe feeling bored, restless, or avoiding sleep.

Behavior...You pick up your phone and start scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, etc.

Outcome...You get a hit of entertainment, distraction, or dopamine from engaging content.

Feedback...Your brain associates scrolling with pleasure or escape, reinforcing the habit.

Repeat/Adjust...The next night, the same trigger leads to the same behavior—loop continues.

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Why It Sticks

• Instant gratification: Social media delivers quick rewards—funny videos, likes, messages.
• Avoidance: It’s a way to delay sleep or avoid thinking about stressful things.
• Low effort: It’s easy, accessible, and doesn’t require much energy.

🔄 How to Break or Rewire the Loop

If you want to shift this habit, you don’t just cut it out—you replace or reshape the loop:

• Change the trigger: Set a wind-down routine (dim lights, read, stretch) before bed.
• Swap the behavior: Replace scrolling with something calming—like journaling or listening to music.
• Alter the feedback: Reward yourself for sticking to the new habit (e.g., better sleep, feeling refreshed).
• Add friction: Keep your phone out of reach or use app timers to make scrolling less automatic.
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Emotional Needs Behind Late-Night Scrolling

1. Connection

Even if you're physically alone, social media offers a sense of being part of something—seeing friends' updates, memes, or shared experiences can feel like you're not totally isolated.

2. Comfort & Escape

After a long day, your mind might crave something easy and soothing. Scrolling provides distraction from stress, anxiety, or overthinking—like a digital lullaby.

3. Stimulation

Your brain might be seeking novelty or excitement. Endless content feeds offer dopamine hits that keep you engaged, especially if your day felt dull or draining.

4. Validation

Likes, comments, or even just seeing others’ lives can trigger comparison or self-reflection. You might be subconsciously looking for reassurance, inspiration, or a sense of worth.

5. Avoidance

Sometimes, it’s a way to delay sleep because sleep means facing tomorrow—or facing thoughts that surface in silence. Scrolling fills that quiet space.

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What You Can Do With This Insight

Once you identify which emotional need is being met, you can ask:

“Is there a healthier or more intentional way to meet that need?”

For example:

• If it’s connection, maybe a quick call or message to a friend earlier in the evening.

• If it’s comfort, try a calming ritual like reading, stretching, or listening to music.

• If it’s avoidance, journaling or mindfulness might help you face what you’re dodging—gently.

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Your Personalized Nighttime Routine

🕗 1. Set a Wind-Down Time

Pick a consistent time to start winding down—say, 9:30 PM. This signals your brain that it’s time to shift gears.

📵 2. Create Friction Against Scrolling

• Plug your phone in away from your bed.

• Use app timers or grayscale mode to make scrolling less tempting.

• Try a “no screens after X PM” rule—just for 3 nights to start.

3. Replace the Scroll with Something Intentional

Choose one or two of these based on what emotional need you want to meet:

Connection...Send a voice note or message to a friend

Comfort...Listen to calming music or a sleep podcast

Stimulation...Read a short story or explore a curiosity journal

Validation...Reflect on 3 things you did well today

Avoidance...Journal for 5 minutes—no pressure, just unload

4. Anchor the Routine with a Ritual

End with a consistent ritual that feels grounding:

• Light stretching

• Herbal tea

• Gratitude list

• Deep breathing (try 4-7-8 technique)

5. Reinforce the Feedback Loop

Each morning, notice how you feel:

• More rested?

• Less anxious?

• Clearer mind?

That’s your new feedback—reinforcing the behavior with real, felt benefits.

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An interesting way to use AI

Reading and Understanding the Marseille Tarot by Marsucci and Aloi

Reading and Understanding the Marseille Tarot by Marsucci and Aloi

On February 27, 2022February 27, 2022 By benebellIn book review, tarot, tarot card meanings, tarot community

It’s not as easy to find good foundation primers on the Marseille system of tarot, so I’m pleased to share Reading and Understanding the Marseille Tarot by Anna Maria Morsucci and Antonella Aloi first published in 2018 by Lo Scarabeo and distributed by Llewellyn.

Morsucci is an Italian writer, former journalist, spiritual and life coach, who has organized numerous astrology and tarot conferences throughout Italy. Aloi is a psychologist, counselor, and director at the Italian Humanistic Counseling Center, with a background in communication sciences.

This is a comprehensive beginner’s guide to the Marseille Tarot that begins by defining what the tarot is: a deck of 78 cards grouped into 22 Major Arcana numbered 1 to 21 with an unnumbered or designated 0 Fool card, placed either at the beginning or end of the Major Arcana sequence, plus 56 Minor Arcana cards subdivided further into four suits– Wands, Swords, Chalices, and Pentacles.

The Wands (or Staves) represent energy, creativity, progress, ambition, and strength. This is the manual activity of peasants and laborers.

The Swords are connected to mental and spiritual development– humanity’s intellectual capacity and courage to overcome obstacles. They also represent armaments– our weapons for battling the conflicts we face, and in terms of social class, designate the nobility and the military.

The Chalices (or Cups) are the clerics, and further, are connected to female aspects, the uterus, the breast, the functions of a mother, maintaining life, and nourishment.

And finally, the suit of Pentacles (or Coins) are connected to the social class of merchants, the material world, finances, resource security, the physical body, friendships, your work, and family stability. These are the attributes assigned to the four suits, as noted in the book.

In each suit there are 10 numerical cards, Ace to Ten, and four court figures: the Page, the Knight, the Queen and the King.

“A tarot deck is a book of images where the interpretation is connected to a precise narrative and symbolic code that has passed through the centuries,” writes Marsucci and Aloi. A quote from Carl Gustav Jung describing the tarot is given:

“These are psychological images, symbols you can play with, just as the subconscious seems to play with its contents…they combine in certain ways, and the different combinations correspond to the playful development of certain events in the story of humanity….and therefore [the game of Tarot] is adapted to an intuitive method that aims to understand the flow of life, perhaps also to predict future events, events that present themselves to the reading of the conditions of the present moment…”

The tarot, writes the authors, began during the Renaissance as a game of entertainment, from taverns to princely courts. Images and symbols are taken from common tropes of the time and the sum of traditions that make up “a figurative repertoire” of the West. The Trumps were a Biblia pauperum, or a poor person’s Bible, and so the tarot was intended to be as instructive and educational as it was intended to be recreational.

I love seeing the association the authors made between XV Arcanum, the Devil and the Burney Relief of the winged goddess Inanna. Arcanum VII The Chariot as depicted on the Marseille is compared to a stone relief of Alexander’s Flight.

The title “Marseilles Tarot” wasn’t introduced until around 1930 by the Grimaud company under its director, Paul Marteau. The “Marseilles Tarot” by Grimaud was a new version of the 1760 Conver deck, whereby its full printed title was “Ancient Tarot of Marseilles.”

Numerology is one of the key cornerstones to interpreting the Marseille, and this book gives a great breakdown of anchoring your understanding in the numbers. Geometric attributions, keywords, and the role each number plays in the tarot architecture are provided in an organized, cogent format.

You then get a breakdown of the recurring symbols in the Arcana, sourced from the Bible, natural elements, astrology, mythology, and Platonic themes, such as what angels depicted in the cards indicate, or when figures feature a beard, or belt, cloak, collar, columns, etc.

For each card entry on the Major keys, you’ll see a full-color image of the card for reference, a description of the imagery in italics, a section titled Interpretation, followed by Questions to reflect on when the card comes up for you, some Keywords for quick reference, and then the card image deconstructed into its main Symbols.

In The Empress card, for example, the four main symbols are the throne, the crown, the scepter, and the shield. Finally, the entry concludes with a Message from the personality or character of the card.

The Minor Arcana cards are given due treatment as well. Again, there’s the italicized full description of the symbols on the card, then a section for Interpretation, followed by Keyword, and the essential Message conveyed by the card. The Message of the Two of Wands, for example, is: “Every action must take into account the reaction that it is able to generate.” For the Three of Wands: “It’s time to act. The ideas and projects should be put into practice.”

The numerical (pip) cards don’t feature the Questions section like the Major keys, but this section returns in the court cards. For example, in the Knight of Swords, the question for self-reflection is: For whom or what is [the Knight of Swords] fighting? How you respond to that question will frame how you interpret this card in your reading. For the Queen of Swords: How will she deal with her condition?

The book concludes with really great pointers on how to interpret a card reading. You can approach a reading through a series of thought-provoking questions. Some of those questions to integrate are:

• How does this card resemble me?
• To what extent do I feel similar to this person or situation in life?
• Which are the more benevolent meanings I can attribute to this card?
• Which are the more critical meanings I can attribute to this card?
• What about this card is inspiring hostility or resistance from me?

I also love the quick metaphysical and spiritual practice tips the book provides, like keeping heliotrope close to your deck to amplify its clairvoyant abilities, or lapis lazuli to increase psychic connections, agate to combat anxiety, tiger’s eye to increase success, etc.

Finally, there’s a short chapter that instructs on a handful of spreads.

The book concludes that the tarot “cannot be viewed as a mere parlor game or bait for the gullible,” but these cards “are friends that ease the process of listening to ourselves and others.”

This gem of a hardcover book by Lo Scarabeo is a great go-to for those who want to learn the Marseille deck. The card meanings section is comprehensive, diverges from how you read the more popular Rider-Waite-Smith, and will walk you through the different building blocks to interpreting Marseille.

There’s a focused study on the elements, the numerology, the key symbols you’ll find on the cards and how to work with recurring symbols. For anyone looking to stock their personal library with tarot books specific to the TdM, you’ll want to get Marsoucci and Aloi’s Reading and Understanding the Marseille Tarot.

FTC Disclosure: In accordance with Title 16 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 255, “Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising,” I received this book from publisher for prospective review. Everything I’ve said here is sincere and accurately reflects my opinion of the book.

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Source

https://benebellwen.com/2022/02/27/reading-and-understanding-the-marseille-tarot-by-marsucci-and-aloi/