A Spiritually Enlightening Online Magazine. September's Theme: "Relationships"
Volume 4 Issue 6 ISSN# 1708-3265

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Illuminations Aleesha Stephenson About the Cover Jeanne Cameron The Bookshop Chapter Five Jennifer Kusz All my Relations Toria Betson Building Bridges Not Walls Rev. Cheryl Jewett Impermanence Jacqueline Kramer The Kindred Bond of Universal Breath Dj Brown The Last Time Iain Pennington Loss of a Friend Dr. R.A. Myers David Suzuki PhD Wisdom Michael Levy Reclaiming Oneness A Conversation with Brian McClure, Creator of the Universal Flag Lexi Soulios You Are What You Love How Spiritually Healthy Are You? Vaishali Dial-Up the Girl of My Dreams Derek Wilken Lifetalks Dawn Baumann Brunke Being Mindful Janet Alston Jackson Pet-sense Jean Hofve DVM Walk Your Talk Aleesha Stephenson Wyrd Lynx John Sacelli Meditate a Moment Featuring: Aleesha Stephenson A Cry for Light Janet Alston Jackson A Sacred Sex Devotional 365 Inspiring Thoughts To Enhance Intimacy Edited by Rafael Lorenzo Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra Edited by Lance Dane Magical Motion - DVD Belly Dance with Atea and Friends Lord of the Rings Tarot Developed by Terry Donaldson

We all have relationships. Some we like, some we love, others we would rather avoid… regardless though, we do have a myriad of experiences within each. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you are always going to agree with them. And alternatively, just because you don't like someone, there will still be things within them you do resonate with.

In my opinion, your most important relationship is the one you have with your Self. How often do we put ourselves second while we take care of others, only to find at the end of the day that little or none of our day was a gift to our Self? Time is the most important gift you can gift to anyone. Time is one thing that we all have the exact same amount of each day. Rich or poor, happy or sad, enlightened or not, we all have the same 1440 minutes in our day.

When we break it down like this… into minutes - it's easier for us to view how we choose to spend them. Yes, spend them… like currency… because this is the MOST valuable currency you have… your time!

So we have 1440 minutes in our day. Of those we spend perhaps 480 of them resting in our beds, replenishing ourselves. This is good. Perhaps another 60-120 preparing and eating meals… so this leaves us with a generous 900 minutes (or 840 if you take 120 minutes preparing and eating) left in our day.

Some of us work inside the home and others outside, we have travelling time, grocery shopping etc. all taking more of those precious minutes of our time. Amazing how our time (just like our paycheque) gets gifted away so quickly… leaving little or no time for ourselves at the end of the day.

But it doesn't need to be like that. We have a choice. Yes we do… we have a choice on how we want to spend every single of those 1440 minutes every single day and just as we are taught by financial advisors to set aside 10% of our paycheque for ourselves from each cheque, I suggest we spend 10% of our minutes on our Self as well. A mere 15 minutes (yes I'm rounding it up because, darn it all, we are worth it!) is all I'm suggesting here. 15 out of 1440 doesn't seem like too much to ask, to pamper ourselves out of each and every day.

I spend mine in meditation. Sitting at my altar, focusing on my breath, allowing my thoughts to drift away and slowly finding my Self settle like the pulp in a glass of juice, I become clear again.

When I'm done, spending this ever-so-precious time on my Self, I like to stop and remember how wonderful my day has been and all the people who touched my life in this day as well.

Get yourself a notebook. Any will do, although pampering ourselves with one which is special is always a nice gift. At the top of the page, beginning with our Self, answer these three questions:

• What do I like about my Self today?
• What am I proud of today?
• How could I have acted with greater love today?

At the top of the next page, write down the name of someone or something you have a relationship with. It can be your cat, partner, child, best friend… even a favourite city or restaurant - or in this age of Internet - your favourite forum or online group! Now ask yourself three questions:

• What do I like about _________?
• Why do I love/adore/enjoy _________?
• What are the positive aspects about _________?
• What about _________ do I find mirrored within myself?

When you are done writing about this person/place/critter (give yourself 20 minutes of uninterrupted time) thank your Self for this gift of time.

Each day remember to start with your Self and then continue on with another relationship.

You are the only person you have to spend 100% of your time with until you die. Period. No one else will spend as much time with you. No one else will always be there no matter what. Doesn't the person who is always there for you deserve at least 15 minutes of your time each day? Heck, I think they deserve at least 30!

Aleesha Stephenson is the Publisher, Editor, Graphic and Web Designer as well as a Regular Columnist for Timeless Spirit Magazine.

A Reiki Master Teacher, who lives her Buddhist, Shamanic, with many eclectic Pagan beliefs, she home-schools two of her three spiritually enlightened children as her eldest has graduated and moved on to the school of life. Friend (and mother) to them all, she is also a life-partner to her husband David. Her life truly is filled with light.

Author of the "Pathways Series," a series of workbooks created for 28 consecutive nights of spellwork for Magi's Magick Spells. Aleesha teaches classes in Tarot, Meditation and Reiki. For more information, please contact Aleesha via email or visit her personal web page.

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