Saturn may be moving in to Virgo, which is probably good news for Leos, and we are all about to get a break when Venus stops retrograding and turns her lovely face of love in the right direction, but there’s something else coming up that affects us all, whatever your sign is: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Seasonal Affective Disorder affects about 5% of adults severely, particularly women and young adults. Up to 25% of us are affected more mildly. The National Mental Health Association (NMHA) says that Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s a real illness, and sometimes the symptoms are severe. It’s worse in January and February, but sometimes starts as early as September. The cause of SAD is believe to be melatonin, a sleep-related hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. Melatonin production increases in the dark, so in the winter, when the days are shorter and darker, production increases, causing what we experience as symptoms of depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder is extremely rare for people who live within 30 degrees of the Equator, where daylight hours are long and extremely bright. What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Well, a lot like depression – trouble sleeping, lethargy, overeating, sadness, social problems, anxiety, loss of libido, mood changes, and a weakened immune system. For complete description, go here: http://www.sada.org.uk/symptoms.htm. What can you do to help? It’s light that suppresses the secretion of melatonin, so for lighter cases, get outside more, exercise outside, and arrange for more light at work and at home. Phototherapy has been helpful in more severe cases. A light box can be used that emits very bright light through a filter. If you think you might have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), check with your personal healthcare professional. Get as much information as you can, and be prepared.

Just as every action that emanates from us comes back to us as reaction,even so our actions may act on other people and theirs on us. Perhaps all of you have observed it as a fact that when persons do evil actions, they become more and more evil, and when they begin to do good, they become stronger and stronger and learn to do good at all times. This intensification of the influence of action cannot be explained on any other ground than that we can act and react upon each other. To take an illustration from physical science, when I am doing a certain action, my mind may be said to be in a certain state of vibration; all minds which are in similar circumstances will have the tendency to be affected by my mind. If there are different musical instruments tuned alike in one room, all of you may have noticed that when one is struck, the others have the tendency to vibrate so as to give the same note. So all minds that have the same tension, so to say, will be equally affected by the same thought. Of course,this influence of thought on mind will vary according to distance and other causes, but the mind is always open to affection. Suppose I am doing an evil act, my mind is in a certain state of vibration, and all minds in the universe,which are in a similar state, have the possibility of being affected by the vibration of my mind. So, when I am doing a good action, my mind is in another state of vibration; and all minds similarly strung have the possibility of being affected by my mind; and this power of mind upon mind is more or less according as the force of the tension is greater or less. To get more information visit : http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com

There are many people who experience brief bouts of depression in their daily lives. There are also people who can’t seem to shake off their depression moods at all. For those people the feelings of depression can become any one of the depression disorders that are medically known about. For depression to manifest itself as a disorder, the signs and symptoms must be present for a period that lasts longer than two to three weeks. There are depression support groups that can help these individuals recover control over their lives. Did you know that there are a large number of depression support groups in the world? Should you feel that you need some information regarding any groups that are located near your area your doctor or caregiver may have some information that you will find useful. Besides the many organized support groups, your family and friends can also become one of your depression support groups. The most important thing that depression support groups provide is help. They will encourage you to take one day at a time. They will let you understand that it is quite alright to break your daily large tasks into smaller manageable tasks. To make sure that you do not crack under the strains of the day they will advise you to set reasonable goals for you to accomplish. With your life taken in small steps the depression support groups can prevent your falling back into depression, because you may feel that you are a failure due to your inability to cope with all of these things. Many of the depression support groups have help lines that are open right throughout the year. At these places there will be someone who can provide more information about depression in the form of pamphlets and other documentation. The services that they provide are non- judgmental. You can also be assured that any information that you tell them will be kept confidential. While you may not be sure about talking to total strangers about your problems, the people in these depression support groups are there only to provide you with whatever form of help that you may want. As they have heard the sufferings of other people, these individuals will not force you to snap out of your depression immediately. Instead the members of depression support groups will be there to help you throughout your ordeal. For a person who suffers from depression having the help and support of depression support groups can prove to be a lifeline their depressed state. The caring and non-judgmental attitudes of depression support groups will reinforce the idea that depression can be cured and that the individual will have their lives back without the depression.

Of all the things that go towards shaping our destiny, it is our belief in our own abilities which has the greatest influence. Our level of self belief determines whether we succeed or fail to achieve our dreams and ambitions. As Henry Ford said “If you think you can, you’re right. If you think you can’t, you’re right.” I was watching a program on the Biography Channel the other day which illustrated the truth of Henry Ford’s words and highlighted the importance of self-belief. The subject of this program dropped out of the educational system without a degree, in fact, he quit school before he even reached college age and left school with woefully inadequate qualifications. The reason for this academic failure was a combination of dyslexia and general lack of interest in school work. Sadly, the lack of academic achievement was accompanied by a complete lack of prowess on the sports field. To top it all off, as well as being a dunce and a sporting failure, the poor kid was not even good looking. He did not have rich parents to give him financial support . His parents were not business owners, so there was no chance of a career via nepotism. He had no obvious skills or talent, so a career as an artist or musician was not an option. This sounded like the stereotypical beginning for a person who will at best survive by taking low-paid employment and, at worst, will drift into a life of crime as a way of snatching what he is incapable of earning. His school headmaster is credited with saying on his premature departure from the education system, ‘I feel sure you will either end up in prison or become a millionaire’. To entertain the idea that this person had any prospect of becoming a millionaire, you would have to know his character. We can only see the external disadvantages, the headmaster was aware of the strength of character and depth of self belief existing within this person. That self-belief more than made up for any lack of education and academic qualifications. One thing the prospective jailbird/millionaire had was the ability to spot a niche for a new business. No, this is not a story of luck bringing an instant rags to riches transformation. Unfortunately his first two business ventures failed miserably. Did this set him on a path of serial business failures? Not at all, the failures probably taught him valuable lessons. He started the first business at the age of seven, so the chances of real success were pretty remote! The fact that he had sufficient self-belief to start his first business before he even reached his teenage years gives us a clue as to his character. The condensed version of the rest of this biography is that the “hero” of the story built a successful business before he reached his twenties, was a millionaire by the age of 25 and was the owner of a Caribbean island before he was thirty. He did not stop working then, he went on from flamboyant success to even bigger flamboyant success, setting records and achieving the apparently impossible. The subject of the TV program was Sir Richard Branson who is, at the time of writing, a billionaire several times over. He has attributed his success to hard work, belief in his business ventures and a willingness to take risks. These risks have included the well publicised (and life threatening) hot-air balloon journeys, starting a business on borrowed capital and taking risks in business where the potential losses were huge. It is self-belief which made it possible to take those risks. Without belief in himself, Richard Branson would not have dared to borrow the money to start his first business as a magazine publisher after leaving school. Without self-belief the balloon challenges would not have been contemplated. Without self-belief the ambition to own an airline would have remained just a dream. “It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believe in myself”. Those words were said by Muhammad Ali but they sum up the essence of what makes any person able to reach his goals in life. We must learn to sow and cultivate self-belief if we wish to achieve the harvest of our dreams.

In this article we’ll touch on the basics of what Numerology is, an opinion of where it originated (there are many theories), and the probability that it’s secrets and insights can improve your life as early as today. For thousands of years, Numerology has been a popular, if somewhat mystical practice, of discovering a great deal about an individual’s character, purpose in life, romantic inclinations, what motivates them, and where their talents may lie – to name only a very few aspects of a very detailed and complicated process. All of this is uncovered based on birth date and the sum of value derived from the letters in a person’s name. Those dabbling in Numerology can use their readings for simple things such as guidance for choosing job fields they might enjoy or reassurance for romantic encounters with suitable partners. Experts in numerology, and those who’ve realized the relevance of readings, use the numbers to determine the best time for major moves and activities in life. Numerology is used to decide when to invest, when to marry, when to travel, when to change jobs, or relocate. No matter how much you choose to rely on or believe in the practice of numerology, you can see why many people choose to entertain the idea that, if we look at how long it has been in use by many cultures, there simply must be some accuracy nvolved. As early as the sixth century B.C., Pythagoras developed the system of Numerology still in use today, called the Pythagorean System. It uses a series of 9 numbers (converted from letters) and then compounded until a single digit is reached. A very simplistic explanation is that the numbers converted from the person’s name describe the things they were born knowing, while the numbers from the birth date define what the person needs to learn. A person’s numerology reading is then processed according the number calculations and then subject to the interpretation of the person doing the reading. There are standard interpretations widely in use today, which are similar in nature to personality tests. By defining a score to a series of questions, one may plot a generalized definition of personality. These too are interpreted based on their nearness to other numbers. Today, thanks to the Internet, Numerology Readings can be done automatically by filling out a simple form. Not every Numerology websites is the same though – different sites will focus on different aspects of life, such as health, romance, personality, etc. Some Numerology sites offer detailed readings for a fee (these are an in-depth look at who you are and who you will become), and some are free (also insightful but not as detailed). A surprisingly large number of well educated people believe strongly in Numerology and are very passionate about it. Whether you’re a believer in the Occult, Tarot, Astrology, Palmistry, or even just plain old science, getting your own Numerology Reading can be a fun and insightful experience. What does fate have in store for you?