I have embarked upon a path of individuation unknowingly since the year 2018. This occurred due to an existential question I had asked myself at the time. I was 22 years old, having graduated college, working in health care administration, and not happy with the life I had built for myself.

Would this be it?

Is this all I have worked for?

“Challenging the meaning of life…is rather the truest expression of the state of being human, the mark of the most human nature in man,” and this very expression of humanness is what led me to question my purpose, and guided me to the point where I am at today (Frankl, 1986).

From a young age, I was conditioned to do the “right thing,” to think of others and their comfort before my own, and to keep the peace amongst those around me at all cost. At first it was hard for me to accept I chose this for myself, but as I grew older I realized that these challenges and conditionings helped mold me into the person I am today.

These challenges were the breadcrumbs that lead me to the life I’m living today.

Some people believe that you were born with your whole life planned before you. Others believe that you have full control of shaping your own destiny once you are alive on Earth. I believe it’s a mixture of both, some perfect blend of destiny (free-will via inspiration) and fate (unchangeable life circumstances).

Has it been my destiny and my fate to do the right thing, think of others' comfort above my own, and to keep the peace? These are qualities I was born with and situations I have chosen for myself. Over time, these three conditionings also forced me to take the necessary action to find what the meaning for my own authentic life is.

Acting in a way to put other people’s well-being before my own caused me to question what my purpose was. I used to think about this trait as a part of my fate, because I felt I had no control over this, but eventually I saw it as part of my own destiny. If it wasn’t because I chose to put others before myself at a young age, I would have never reached a point in my life where I would question my own actions and motivations. Eventually, my focus went from fulfilling others needs to fulfilling my own. This caused me to pivot my life direction and purpose to the one I am currently navigating at this time.

The question of destiny versus fate is one that I have discussed with friends in the past, and it’s fascinating how everyone can come to different conclusions. It seems apparent that the definitions people give are in alignment with their morals and values, or the religious and spiritual beliefs they may have. It also seems to reflect any positive or negative connotations people have over their life experience. Someone that cannot take responsibility for their actions and may often play the part of being a victim could not possibly agree with the fact that an aspect of their life is in fact chosen by them through the destiny you create for yourself. Some sort of internal inspiration is guiding them to act in a certain manner which brings forth specific circumstances.

How could a person that cannot take responsibility for their life have a clear understanding of what destiny and fate truly mean for the human living experience?

Does someone need to take accountability for their decisions and choices? Does a person need to be optimistic, see the silver lining, and be willing to learn from their personal mistakes in order to become the best version of themselves? Can someone achieve this same goal without embracing this principle?

I have found that because I have been willing to learn from my personal mistakes, see the silver lining, and stay optimistic, I have been able to walk my own path of individuation. One of the first examples is the job I mentioned from 2023. Instead of blaming my co-workers, my superiors, my company, or my family for my sorrows, I took it upon myself to take responsibility for my decisions and take the appropriate inspired action to change the course of my life.

I understood I got myself into the job that made me question my life, and that I was learning something while working there even if I wasn’t completely happy. I knew that job served multiple purposes, one of them being the fact that it helped me open my eyes to the world and to my true and authentic living experience. Because of this clarity, I understood that I needed to plan my next steps accordingly in order to move in the direction I really wanted for my life.

During this time, one of the many angels along my path was my favorite coworker at the time. She loved crystals. I started wearing my own crystals in order to support one of my friends – she had a business selling crystal pendants and crystal jewelry that helped her with finances during her undergraduate career – and after one week of wearing one of her crystal pieces, I noticed an increase in the amount of peace and clarity I felt. I confided in my crystal-loving coworker and she saw potential in me. She shared with me what she knew and encouraged me to take it a step further by exploring other mystical ideas such as tarot cards.

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At this time in my life, I was still holding onto some Catholic beliefs from my upbringing, and I did not feel comfortable with some of the things she suggested such as creating an altar with crystals or receiving a tarot card reading. The experience of peace and clarity from wearing the crystal, though, impacted me so much that I was curious enough to stretch out of the confinements of my preconceived beliefs and get a tarot card reading to see what it’s truly about. All I have known regarding card readings was what I saw on television shows, movies, or what was shared through the superstitions of my family members.

Some of my family members advised me against using crystals because it was not the work of God. One of the reasons I questioned this (besides my personal experience with crystals and the peace they brought me) was the level of high esteem crystals have in the Old Testament. In Exodus 28:19 it mentions how priests (which are people of high importance) wore garments with rows of precious stones such as amethyst, lapis lazuli, carnelian, turquoise, and emerald to just name a few. In the Bible, it’s even mentioned how brides would also wear these precious stones for their wedding day, which is a very important life event and sacrament within the Christian faith.

Another thing some of my family members advised me against was reading the horoscopes or looking into the zodiac. They believed it was the work of the Devil. The reasoning behind astrology not being appropriate was that “God would have never given us a hand-out or the easy answers for my life, and that God would want us to figure things out on our own.” This specific reasoning made me question the reliability of my family’s beliefs. If God is meant to be a Father figure that is loving and compassionate, wouldn’t He want to help me with life situations and struggles as much as He could? Plus, if God created everything in the Universe, doesn’t that mean that he created the stars as well? How can stars – which are beautiful, bring peace when staring at them, and provide tips and tricks on how to live your most aligned life – all be the creation of the Devil? With time I realized what the “Devil” truly represents, which is a conversation for another time.

Slowly things my family shared with me as to what is Godly and what is not started to fade in the background, and this gave me the courage to get the first card reading I ever experienced. This card reading was nothing like how I expected it to be. I received even more clarity on my life and my purpose than I thought would be possible. I also received reassurance and confirmation to continue to be a rebel and push the boundaries of my current familial beliefs. I had a subconscious fear of being rejected by my family, and in that first card reading it was mentioned that the family members that truly loved me are going to love me regardless of what I practice spiritually.

I had no idea how much my life would change from that card reading alone. Because of this card reading, I started to confidently separate from my previous religious practices, and I started seeking alternative schools of thought to gain insight into life’s questions from different perspectives. I followed my destiny and answered the calls of inspiration from my soul.

I learned as much as I could about crystals by taking a course from one of the stores that was nearby my home. I learned about their metaphysical properties and how to connect them to the chakras or to different metaphysical healing needs. As I deepened my knowledge on crystals, I also learned about meditation. In this crystal course there would be exercises where I would hold a crystal and meditate with it in order to feel its energy and see how it would make me feel. As I meditated I realized that I could see colors. Not only while my eyes were closed, but I also started seeing colors around people.

The tarot card reader that gave me my first card reading became somewhat of a mentor for me, and I had asked her what this meant. She informed me that I could see people’s auras, and that I can start working with people by giving them aura readings or even aura paintings (which sold very well). Because I could see auras, she also encouraged me to learn about Reiki energy healing and chakra energy balancing. At this point in my life I was outsourcing ways to find peace within. I felt like I needed crystals to bring me back to center, like I needed card readings to find the answers, and like I needed Reiki healing for me to function properly. Even though this was a step in the right direction, I still had a ways to go.

As time went on, I took up many different practices and realized I was looking for external ways to create some sort of spiritual experience for myself. In many ways I was outsourcing healing and connection, and through time I realized that I had the power to do this for myself all along. These spiritual experiences were difficult for me to do on my own at first, but as time went on, and as I gained trust and confidence for myself, it became easier for me to experience spiritual nonduality (or connection to Source).

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In Fenner’s work, he explains how the “nondual approach… invests in the healing power of the unconditioned mind… [and] is designed to awaken us to, and root us in, the ever-present experience of pure-bliss consciousness” (2003). Searching for the meaning of my own life by taking inspired action was frustrating at the beginning of my journey, because I was looking for concrete answers. It wasn’t until I was able to create more spiritual experiences for myself that I started to understand that maybe the point of living is just to live.

This idea of living life just to experience it brought me back to question the meaning of religion. Why were people wanting to outsource pure-bliss and happiness through the works of dogma and religion when everyone can experience it for themselves by connecting within?

Lionel Corbett mentions how “one’s real God image is whatever is of the highest value or the greatest power in the psyche” (2021). I will also add that I believe one’s God image in some ways reflects the beliefs of worth and notes of confidence you have for yourself. At first I was not confident enough in myself, leading me to believe that this God image cannot be related to me in any form. Thankfully, as I learned more about gnosticism, energy, and formed my own relationship with the other worlds, I gained the confidence and self-worth to see myself as an aspect of God instead of being separate from God.

My God image went from being this angry, authoritative figure that was very far removed from my human experience to a loving and compassionate God image that I could see in my own reflection. I found God in the waters, the birds, the wind blowing through the trees, and in hearing the laughter of other human beings. I meditated, and it felt like I reached the Heavens. I would ground with the Earth, and it felt like I was one with nature. I was able to find connectivity through the different practices I started. I knew that life was not only about living a purpose, but it was also about living.

I expanded my understanding of God, and played with the idea that God created everything, the light and the dark, the good and the bad, the right and the wrong. It was really up to us to subjectively put things into their “respective categories of division,” but where we missed the mark as a society was to divide them into God creations versus Devil creations.

In Jung’s work, he mentioned how God was mistakenly separated from the bad within our society, because in reality God is a totality (Corbett, 2021). God is masculine and feminine, light and dark, it's an all-encompassing existence that as humans we cannot completely understand. Not only that, but this notion that God is only light subconsciously creates a separation from human and God.

In Lionel Corbett’s book, The God-Image: From Antiquity to Jung, he mentions that “...the Self is a totality, it must contain all the opposites, and thus it must have both a light and a dark side.” Dividing the good and the bad by stating that the good comes from God and the bad does not can create this “Luciferian vanity” that can portray things in our human world as monstrous and evil.

I am in total agreement with the notion of the Self being a totality, as not only are we an image of God and reflect Their energy, but in order for me to truly heal myself, I needed to gain the confidence and self-worth of embracing the totality of who I am – the light and the dark. I also believe that if we can accept the good and the bad all under God, we can also accept our destiny and our fate as one. We are ultimately the creators of our reality, at least to some extent, and we always have the freewill to impose the inspired actions we would like to take based on our current circumstances.

When learning new paths within my spiritual journey, I eventually learned that the practices I started to do for my own wellness and soul searching were similar to inspired actions my great grandmother took in her lifetime. She worked with crystals in the same way I found myself working with them. My great grandmother also worked with herbs, recited phrases filled with wisdom that over time I found on gnostic texts, and was considered a white witch by my father.

It’s interesting that embarking on this alternative spiritual path was the door that led me to learning more about my ancestors and my father’s side of the family. This path also led me to understand my own purpose in my life and that I truly do have the support of my ancestors to live authentically and pursue my inspired actions. Realizing this also boosted my confidence, as the self-taught ways of my practice mirrored the ways of my ancestral elders.

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From this point forward, the feeling of living my purpose solidified into my bones, knowing that it all serendipitously brought me to understand so many beautiful things about myself. I knew I was magical, and that I had the wisdom of my ancestors and elders in my DNA. I knew that all of the risks I had taken for my life were not in vain. I knew that I had created a way for my own healing, and this also opened up the healing for my parents and other family members. They were able to share with me things about my family I could have never imagined. Other friends and family members also started to ask me questions regarding this new spiritual path I have been on out of curiosity. They see how well it’s been going for me, and they want to try it as well in order to improve their well-being.

Through the journey of learning more about my ancestors and the gifts passed down through my DNA, I have also been learning about indigenous and Earth-based practices, one of them being ways of curanderismo and shamanism.

In a video titled Understanding of healing: An indigenous healer and western psychology, the findings and messages strongly resonated with me and my lived experience with curanderismo and shamanism (Robbins, n.d.). Robbins spoke about the pieces of wisdom White Bear shared with him through a multitude of interviews. White Bear was a Medicine Man from a Native American tribe that Robbins was a part of. As I was watching this video, I realized that I had actually experienced some of those situations White Bear mentioned myself.

One of the experiences being that “when you go into the eternal now, the spirits can come into time and space and help with healing. It’s like switching places for that time” (Robbins, n.d.). I had this exact experience a several years ago when undergoing the studies of a course on womb wisdom. I learned how to conduct womb healings for other women, and one of my dear friends volunteered to let me practice on her. At the very beginning of the practice I was very in the mind, but I reminded myself of the skills I have gained over time, which brought back a sense of self-worth and confidence into my being. This reminder helped me tap into the energies for the session and conduct the healing as needed. I opened sacred space, channeled the messages from my friend’s womb, and started to move energies out of her womb space. As I became more and more present in the healing session, my friend also became more and more present in her experience. Eventually, a gust of wind came and pushed me back, and I felt the spirits come into time and space to help me and my friend in her womb healing session that day. I could not intervene. All I could do was stay in the present moment, in the “eternal now,” while singing and breathing as I allowed for the spirits to help us both during the healing session.

For me to have experienced this, it was necessary to get out of my own mind and move into my senses, and my friend had to do the same. We were both in the “eternal now,” having gained the favor of our Ancestors, and received the magic from this liminal space.

White Bear also mentioned in his interviews with Robbins that in order to truly feel the pure-bliss essence, in order to find connection to spiritual experiences, in order to be in the present moment and the eternal now, logic has to go out of the window and bodily experience has to take the primary focus with an acceptance that magic can always follow.

Because of my experiences in my own journey of individuation, I now find myself trusting my fate. I now find myself trusting my destiny. I now find myself trusting the path I am currently walking on regardless if I can see the end result or not.

I now find myself trusting myself.

This is because a big part of my journey has been about gaining confidence for myself. There have been many situations I have gone through where gaining confidence has been the main lesson as well as the end result. I had to gain self-worth, self-love, self-confidence, and advocate for myself in an authentic way to get to where I am today.

All of this has been a part of the undoing of putting other people before me, and has shown me the gift of putting myself first. Of course there are situations in life where I have to be conscious of a proper give and receive dynamic in order to maintain healthy relationships with those I love, but I always need to remember that if my personal cup is not full, it will be hard for me to pour onto others. I have learned to trust the inspirations of my soul, and I will continue to stay confident in my actions as I continue down my personal journey of individuation.

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Once upon a time, in a realm bathed in iridescent hues and fluorescent lights, there lived a majestic butterfly named Aurora. Her emerald wings shimmered with an otherworldly glow, embodying the uniqueness of her gifts. One day, her precious pearl necklace, a gift from her grandmother to strengthen the connection to her true self and unique gifts, slipped away, causing her to slowly loose sense of who she really is.

Aurora began looking outside herself for validation, recognition, and praise to the point that unhealthy relationships started appearing more and more in her life. One day, Aurora realized that to live a life filled with happiness she needed to go within and remember who she really is at her core. She wanted real loving relationships and friendships instead of unhealthy ones, and by knowing who she was, she would know what she truly valued in her interactions with others.

As Aurora embarked on a quest through enchanted meadows and mystic forests to find her essence, she encountered challenges that tested her resilience. These were tests that required the skills of her true nature, which she had forgotten about and was unsure if she could surpass them. With every obstacle that she overcame, she remembered a little bit more of who she is, but there was still something missing. On the third month of searching through the meadows, Aurora was contemplating on what she was truly missing. She wondered what she needed to experience wholeness once more. Stuck in her mind, Aurora didn’t notice the roots of an ancient Ceiba tree arching over the ground. As she got closer to the tree Spirit, the ancient Ceiba tree had been patiently awaiting for Aurora’s arrival. Aurora, unaware of her surroundings by staying in the waves of her intellect, flew into the arching root of the Ceiba tree. The Ceiba tree smiled, as she knew Aurora would finally make her way home at last.

After flying into the arching root, Aurora noticed a glimmer shining through a rose bush. It had a perfect opening for her to glide her way through unscathed. As Aurora flew through the rose bush, she found an oasis of mystical roses, a sacred space. In the heart of this sacred rose garden, under the light of the Full Moon, Aurora noticed a droplet of water landing on a perfectly symmetrical Scarlet Red Rose. Mesmerized by its beauty, Aurora got closer and noticed a faint shimmer between the greenery around the flower. As Aurora focused her gaze, she found a pearl necklace - her lost pearl necklace - nestled amidst the fallen petals and leaves. Upon reclaiming the pearl necklace and putting it on, Aurora felt a surge of power, realizing that her unique gifts were intricately linked to her connection with herself. With her renewed spirit, Aurora fluttered her radiant emerald wings, casting hues across the realm, leaving an everlasting mark of her extraordinary presence in every room, flower, and tree she flew by.

When I think of air, I think of an eagle - flying high in the sky, twirling, circling the trees and the nature below. An eagle taking in the view, admiring nature. Not a place where it was born or raised, but a place it has surpassed and outgrown. The eagle is in the air, where it belongs. In the highest mountain, by the clouds, living its purpose.

I bet it was scary when the eagle took its first flight. When it flew from the corner of a branch into it’s death. That eagle died in that moment. It shed all of its fear, conditioning, thoughts about itself and the world. The eagle had to spiritually, emotionally, and mentally die to fly — fly high in the sky the way it was meant to.

Now it looks down at civilization, taking everything in. The way we interact, the way we connect with each other, or disconnect with each other for that matter. It takes in our wins and our loses. It gains wisdom from observing, taking itself outside the picture and just watching, with no emotions or attachments to what happens in the world below.

I bet the eagle has a lot of wisdom… It would be amazing to sit down with an eagle and ask what they have seen, what they have learned. 

When I think of air I think of an eagle and I think of the heart. How at peace must the eagle be. 

How grateful must the eagle be. It flies high above anything else, until we invented and flew airplanes and balloons. The eagle took over the skies, swam with the clouds, took in the life force energy we can’t reach.

How at peace must the eagle be, listening to the wind. Feeling the breeze every day hit its feathers as it roams above the earth and waters below. The beautiful sights they take in. The ability to travel wherever they deem. 

How powerful must the eagle feel. How wise must it be. How centered.

When movement doesn’t work

When sleeping doesn’t help

When making my surroundings comfortable doesn’t work

Writing always does

I can pull cards

but it’s not the same

I can watch something

but the feeling stays

Writing liberates the mind

It liberates my body

It liberates my soul

Writing is somatic healing

A healing involving the 

Mind, body, and spirit

Writing is a bridge

Between the conscious and unconscious

Between the seen and unseen

Writing helps me on my worst days

Writing amplifies my best days

But it's on the worst days that I am extra grateful

I am grateful my body knows how to heal

It can be because my natal moon is in the third house

But words add life to my day

Words add catharsis

Words add relief

I hope words do the same for you

They believe that with determination and hard work, no matter where a person comes from or what resources the person possesses, they can achieve what could be considered impossible as long as motivation drives them to be the best they can be. In Ancient Greece, though, that was not the common belief. They had an external locus of control, and nothing — not a god or mortal — could change the path a person was destined to take. In the Iliad, Troy is fated to fall once Hektor perishes; Hektor is fated to die in the hands of Achilleus; Patroklus is fated to be killed in order for Achilleus to go into battle alongside the Achaians. Even the gods attempt to tip the scales of fate, but still they cannot alter the future. One way or another, no matter the path a person takes, it will always lead that person to the same destination, and just as it always is in life, there are a number of events that have to unfold for the final outcome to be exposed. In the Iliad, it all started with the feud between Agamemnon and Achilleus, which later brought upon the course of events that leads a few characters to cause the citadel of Troy to burn to the ground. On this paper, I will be focusing on how Phoinix, Nestor and Patroklos had a very important role into steering Achilleus towards fulfilling his destiny by analyzing the speeches they made and their impact on certain characters.

         Once Achilleus decided not to fight, things turned ugly for the Achaians to the point were Agamemnon sent “the best men to supplicate” for Achilleus to come back (9.520).  Among them was Phoinix, who managed to say just the right things to move Achilleus’ heart, even if it was by the slightest bit. Warming up to Achilleus and getting him not to return home on his ship the next day, Phoinix mentioned that he “made [Achilleus] all that [he is] now, and loved [him] out of [his] heart” as well as the fact that Phoinix treated Achilleus as if he were his own child (9.485-486 and 9.494-495). Any person that would hear their father tell them about how they love him and explain the ways the father took care for him in the past will always make a man feel like he needs to please his father and accomplish that which is being askied of him. The way this all impacted Achilleus was by changing his mind about leaving the city of Troy and to stay alongside the army, which by staying, it would eventually drive Achilleus into having to participate in the war and finally fulfill his fate. Now, this man, Phoinix, is a very intelligent person, because as his speech goes on, Phoinix does acknowledge Achilleus and the source of his anger, letting him know that the Achaians don’t deserve to have him on their side, even though they extremely needed him: If “[Agamemnon, who is] to remain still swollen with rancour, even I would not bid you throw your anger aside, nor defend the Argives, though they needed you sorely” (9.516-518). Agreeing with the way Achilleus reacted to this whole situation, Phoinix did what a ‘father’ does best, and that is give his ‘son’ support of his actions but also letting Achilleus know, through the art of words, to be a better man by “beat[ing] down [his] anger. [Because] It is not yours to have a pitiless heart” (9.496-497). At this point, since Phoinix has complimented and reassured Achilleus, Achilleus has reached a level of calmness, which is needed for Phoinix to finally lay his ‘tale of wisdom’ — as I like to call these stories throughout out the Iliad, which their sole purpose is to show what other warrior’s mistakes were and how warriors now can improve from them. In lines 9.530 to 9.599, Phoinix tells a story about a warrior named Meleagros, who has similar struggles as that of Achilleus (it is truly amusing how in every situation at least one person in this epic has a story that relates to it).

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         “The Achaians will honor you as they would an immortal. But if without gifts you go into the fighting where men perish, your honor will no longer be as great, though you drive back the battle.” - Phoinix lines 9.603-605

         This quote is very important, not only because this is the end of Phoinix’ speech and  of how Achilleus responds to it, but because of what Phoinix just engraved into Achilleus’ mind. Earlier, Phoinix was letting Achilleus know that “his actions” towards the situation between him and Agamemnon were understandable, and also that the Achaians needed his help even though they don’t deserve it, but at this moment Phoinix is basically saying that even though he said all those things, Achilleus really should not fight unless he receives the materials goods Agamemnon promised him, because he won’t be as glorious of a warrior without them. This idea stays with Achilleus through the moment Patroklos and Achilleus talk about finally helping the Achaians in battle; Achilleus still wants his honor, and if he were to go into battle without being given any of Agamemnon’s riches, he would lose that honor. This idea that Phoinix implanted in Achilleus’ head resulted in Achilleus letting Patroklos enter the battlefield in Achilleus’ place where he should meet his own “death and evil destruction” (16.47). This, in turn, eventually brings Achilleus himself into the battlefield to fight off the Trojans and end Hektor’s life, but for Patroklos to have been persuaded into wanting to go into battle himself, someone had to inspire him to do so.

         Nestor is the man of the hour, telling stories of his past to motivate those who need the motivation. I believe his role is the most important because he is the man who leads Patroklos on his way to wanting to fight in battle, which is needed for Achilleus to go into battle himself and achieve his destiny. Nestor asks Patroklos “Is he [Achilleus] going to wait then till the running ships by the water are burned with consuming fire for all the Argives can do, till we ourselves are killed one after another (11.663-667)?” At this moment, with all the bravest warriors wounded and the Achaian soldiers not getting any rest, the Greeks need Achilleus to step in to turn the tide of the war. Instead of this happening, though, Nestor moves Patroklos’ heart and sends him off running towards his male companion to convince him into either going to war himself or letting Patroklos wear Achilleus’ armor to throw off the Trojans and let the Achaian soldiers “get wind” after their hard work in battle (11.803-804,11.793-799, and 16.42).

         “…Achilleus is higher than you are, but you are the elder. Yet in strength he is far the greater. You must speak solid words to him, and give him good counsel…If he listens to you it will be for his own good.” -Menoitos through Nestor’s tale (11.785-788)

         After reminding Patroklos of what Menoitos — Patroklos’ father — told him before taking off to war with the Achaians, Nestor lets him know that Patroklos “might speak to wise Achilleus, [and] he might be persuaded…[because] the persuasion of a friend is a strong thing” (11.790-792). Nestor also gives Patroklos the great idea to borrow Achilleus’ armor if Achilleus himself feels like he shouldn’t fight because he is destined to live a short life if he chooses to enter the battle field once more (11.793-799). Making Patroklos feel like he has some importance to this war after all, he, by having Nestor stir “the feeling in the breast of Patroklos,” Patroklos went running towards the camping site of Achilleus to put his purpose into action, and having to unknowingly take the fall for the better of the Greeks to bring forth the completion of the prophecy of the fall of Troy in the hands of Achilleus.

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         Once Patroklos  shows his frustration to Achilleus and lets him know of the plan Nestor shared with him, Achilleus cannot ignore his companion’s desire and lets him take on the Trojans alongside the Myrmidons (16.64-65). And again, what Phoinix said earlier had an impact on Achilleus since at this point, Achilleus let Patroklos know that he will let the resentment towards Agamemnon “be a thing of the past; and it was not in [Achilleus’] heart to be angry forever,” but he still refuses to go into battle himself solely because he hasn't received the number of riches that Agamemnon needs to give Achilleus in order to regain his honor and status (16.61-62). As a part of restoring his honor, Achilleus demands Patroklos to return after driving the enemy away from the ships, but as we all know, this doesn’t happen, resulting in the death of Patroklos’ death for not following directions. The death of Patroklos is necessary to this story, however, since this is the only thing that would have, and did, bring Achilleus to finish his life’s purpose.

         Homer was a brilliant composer who truly accomplished to write a story that has had a big impact on society since the eighth century B.C. to this day, carrying over the knowledge and customs of ancient Greeks to our modern day society and be able to learn and grow from them. One of the beliefs that were held very close to the hearts of the Greeks was that fate was “something that unavoidably befalls a person,” and there was nothing and no one who could alter a person’s course through life in a that was not already destined. The Iliad is based on the fate of Achilleus and the events that take us to witness its accomplishment, and by the help of the speeches given by three characters — Phoinix, Nestor, and Patroklos — Things are steered towards setting up Achilleus’ male life partner into entering the battle field, where his death lies. From then on, Achilleus is shoved into fulfilling his fate and destroying the city of Troy, which was destined to fall after the death of its prince, Hektor son of Priam, whom Achilleus murdered.

Works Cited:

1. "Locus of Control: Do You Believe You're In Control?" About.com Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.

2. “Wikipedia - the Fall of Troy.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.

3. Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "9.520." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

4. Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "9.485-486." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

5. Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "9.494-495." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

6. Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "9.516-518." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

7. Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "9.496-497." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

8. Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "9.603-605." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

9. Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "16.47." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

10.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "11.663-667." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

11.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "11.803-804." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

12.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "11.793-799." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

13.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. "11.785-788." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

14.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. “11.790-792." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

15.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. “11.793-799." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

16.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. “11.803-804." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

17.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. “16.64-65." The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

18.  Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. “16.61-62.” The Iliad. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1951. N. pag. Print.

19.  Morris, Ian, and Barry B. Powell. The Greeks. 2nd ed. NJ: Pearson Education, 2010. Print.

20.  "Google - Fate Definition." Google. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.

I have taken plenty of courses as well, but these books hold information that supported my studies and spiritual practice development. I hope that you are able to resonate with some books on this list, or can get reassurance that the book you have on your wish list is a must-read for your spiritual path.

This list is not all-inclusive, and I am only adding books I am aware of at this moment of publishing this post. Maybe in the future I will add an updated list with other books I find helped me further in this path called life. If you have any suggestions for me that you would like to share, please reach out to me! I am more than happy to add more books on my wish list and continue reading and studying.

Picture by Chris Lawton

Books I recommend on Tarot:

• The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Meanings by Brigit Esselmont (All Levels)

• The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite (All Levels)

Books I recommend on Astrology:

• Cosmic Health by Jennifer Racioppi (Beginner)

• The Twelve Houses by Howard Sasportas (All Levels)

• The Luminaries by Liz Greene (Intermediate)

• The Inner Planets by Liz Greene (Intermediate)

• Saturn by Liz Greene (Intermediate)

• Neptune by Liz Greene (Intermediate)

Books I recommend on Gnostic Christianity:

• The Way of the Rose by Clark Strand and Perdita Finn

• Magdalene Mysteries by Seren Bertrand and Azra Bertrand M.D.

• The Sophia Code (chapters on Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene) by Kaia Ra 

• The Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Jean-Yves Leloup

• The Gospel of Phillip by Jean-Yves Leloup

• Quantum Spirituality by Peter Canova

Books I recommend on Divine Feminine Wisdom:

• The Way of the Rose by Clark Strand and Perdita Finn

• Waking Up to the Dark by Clark Strand

• Magdalene Mysteries by Seren Bertrand and Azra Bertrand M.D.

• Womb Awakening by Seren Bertrand and Azra Bertrand M.D.

• The Sophia Code by Kaia Ra

• Mysteries of the Dark Moon by Demetra George

• Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes Ph.D.

• When Women were Drummers by Layne Redmond

Books I recommend on General Spirituality (miscellaneous list):

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

• The Shamanic Way of the Bee by Simon Buxton

• Secrets of the Talking Jaguar by Martin Prechtel

• Spirit Speaker by Salicrow

• Elemental Witchcraft by Salicrow

• Everyday Moon Magic by Dorothy Morrison

• The Alchemy of Your Dreams by Athena Laz

• Breath by James Nestor

• The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

• Abundance by Deepak Chopra

• The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra

• Return of the Bird Tribes by Ken Carey

• The Book of Symbols by Taschen

• The Secret Language of the Body by Inna Segal

• Chakra Healing by Cyndi Dale

Below are Tarot and Oracle Decks I currently have and love!

Tarot Decks I currently have (alphabetical by author’s first name):

• Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack by Arthur Edward Waite; Illustrated by Pamela Smith

• The Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne

• The Moonchild Tarot by Danielle Noel

• Motherpeace Tarot by Karen Vogel and Vicki Noble

• Fortuna Tarot Deck Opal Omen Limited Edition by Maria J. Farjardo Praena

Oracle Decks I currently have (alphabetical by author’s first name):

• Herbal Astrology Oracle by Adriana Ayales

• Earth Warriors Oracle by Alana Fairchild

• Isis Oracle by Alana Fairchild

• Kali Oracle (Pocket Edition) by Alana Fairchild

• Kuan Yin Oracle (Pocket Edition) by Alana Fairchild

• Mother Mary Oracle by Alana Fairchild

• Mystic Shaman Oracle Deck by Alberto Villoldo

• The Book of Doors Divination Deck by Alison Davidson and Athon Veggi

• Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue Ph.D.

• The Sacred Self-Care Oracle by Jill Pyle

• Oracle of the Fairies by Karen Kay

• Heavenly Bodies Astrology by Lily Ashwell

• Secrets of the Witch by Lucy Cavendish

• Divine Feminine Oracle by Meggan Watterson

• The Rose Oracle Deck by Rebecca Campbell

• The Healing Waters Oracle by Rebecca Campbell

• The Starseed Oracle by Rebecca Campbell

• Work Your Light Oracle by Rebecca Campbell

• Cosmic Journey Oracle Deck by Yanik Silver

Click the link for The Healer Within Workshop on YouTube.

One of the ways you can work on building the strength of your chakras is through journaling work. Below are some prompts listed per chakra that can help you dive into the energies within you that need healing.

ROOT CHAKRA PROMPTS:
1.When have you felt unsupported or unsafe? What made you feel that way?

2. Have you had any issues with support from your closest family members?

3.Did you feel unsupported by your family as a child? Do you feel unsupported by your family now?

4.What do you expect others to do to make you feel supported? If others cannot do that, how can you support yourself?

5.What do you feel incapable of doing? Why? How can you work on this feeling?

SACRAL CHAKRA PROMPTS:
1. When have you felt ashamed? What did you do or what about the situation made you feel this way? How can you overcome this feeling?

2. How do you usually handle your emotions? Do you try to understand your negative emotions?

3. Have you had blockages with creativity? What did you used to do as a child that was creative and imaginative? How can you bring that back into your daily life now?

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA PROMPTS:
1.Have you ever felt powerless? What made you feel this way?

2. Do you have low confidence in certain aspects of yourself and who you are? What are those? Why do you feel low confidence in those aspects?

3. What can you do to enhance your confidence? Write a list of things that you are good and confident about yourself.

HEART CHAKRA PROMPTS:
1.When have you felt rejected or unaccepted by other people? Have those experiences affected how you view yourself? How?

2. What aspects of yourself do you have a hard time accepting? Where do these thoughts stem from?

3. Is it easier to give or receive?
a) Give - why is it hard for you to receive? Do you feel unworthy to receive? What previous experiences have shaped this idea? How can you learn to receive and let help come into your life?
b) Receive - why is it hard for you to give to others? Have you been betrayed in the past? Do you feel undervalued? Are you preventing future hurt?

THROAT CHAKRA PROMPTS:
1.When do you usually struggle to speak up? Why?

2. When have you tried to hide the truth from another person? Why did you do that, were you afraid of the reaction? Do you regret hiding that information? Why?

3. Is there anything you are holding back from saying? What is it? Why are you holding back from speaking your truth?

THIRD EYE CHAKRA PROMPTS:
1.Do you trust your intuition? When have you second-guessed it? Why?

2. When in your life have you been afraid to see the truth in a situation? Why were you afraid?

3. What are topics or things you can be more open minded about? What may be limiting you from being more open minded?

CROWN CHAKRA PROMPTS:
1.Where do you go or what do you do to find inner peace? How often do you do this? Do you think you should do it more often? If you need to do it more, what is holding you back from incorporating it more often into your life?

2. Do you feel a calling or a higher purpose? Are you actively doing something towards it? If not, why are you holding back? Do you think you are unsupported? Does this path scare you? What about this is holding you back?

3. How do you feel your higher self views you? Is it lost, guided, in the right path? Why do you think your higher self views you this way? Are you doing anything to help be viewed in the best light? Have you asked your higher self for guidance? Why or why not?

A lot of people talk about the connection of women with the Moon, but there was not so much information out there regarding this connection out in the public eye until recently. It seems like this knowledge was kept hidden, and it's making its appearance again into society.

With everything that has happened on a global scale the past few years, we have gone back to learning about our nutrition system, pharmaceuticals, and our connection to our bodies. We have also had an expansion on spiritual ideals, especially those that deal with the celestial bodies (the stars).

Astrology and the understanding of the effects of the celestial bodies in our lives has been talked about more openly in mainstream conversations. There’s talks about the inner planets and how they can affect our lives - the most common example is when Mercury goes retrograde. But in this post, I will be focusing on one of my favorite celestial bodies, the Moon.

Something that I appreciate about the Moon is the phases that she always goes through. Her unwavering dedication to her 28.5 day cycle helped me have a better connection with the phases of my life. Observing the moon in her natural cyclical nature gave me the permission to observe myself in my personal cyclical nature as well. There’s times when I have a lot of energy to get things done, and there’s times when I want to stay in and watch a movie as I rest from the chores of the day.

The Moon helped me embrace the fact that women also go through these natural phases. Our cyclical nature is all thanks to the Menstrual Cycle that we go through from our maidenhood until it’s time to reach our crone years.

When we get our menstruation (which can be referred to as our “Moon” or “New Moon”), notice the phase that the Moon is in that day. The phase of the Moon on your first day of your menstrual cycle can shed light into what your body is needing for that month to come. It is also wise to note the characteristics of the menstruation fluids to see what your body is asking you to do to better care for yourself.

Below, I will share the phase of the moon and what it might mean for you to get your menstruation under each phase. I will also share what your body is asking more of depending on your menstruation fluids.



Moon Phases and Menstruation:

• New Moon - This is a time for new beginnings, being open, and being hopeful! If you are thinking about birthing something into this world (whether it be a child, a project, a relationship, etc.) The Universe is letting you know that this is fully supported at this time.

• Waxing Crescent - This is a time to set intentions, declare things into the Universe, and cleanse. You're being asked to imagine and think about what it is you want to create.

• First Quarter Moon - This is a time to focus, pick up speed, and face your fears. Take a leap, the Universe will be there to support you as you take action.

• Waxing Gibbous - This is a time for you to refine, adapt, and align your intentions and visions. Make sure you fine-tune them to align with your Highest Intentions for the good of all. Make sure it is truly authentic to you and your desires.

• Full Moon - This is a time for you to celebrate! Be grateful, and look at the bright side of things. This is also a time where you are living and doing things at the beat of your own drum. Trust your personal instincts, as you are creating something unique.

• Waning Gibbous - This is a time for you to meditate, reflect upon the past month, and introspect. Try to go inwards and see what comes up for you.

• Last Quarter Moon - This is a time for you to let go, release, and surrender. A time for true transformation. Discard what no longer serves you.

• Waning Crescent - This is a time for you to forgive and accept others as well as yourself. Go with the flow.

Menstruation Fluid and Self-Care:

• Dark and Thick - Movement is Needed to Remove Stagnant Energies.

• Pink and Light - Nourishment is Needed.

• Heavy and Clot-like - Compassion and Grace is Needed.

You can come back to this page whenever your menstruation resurfaces in order to see what the Moon and what your body are trying to communicate with you at that time.