Life is Too Short to Allow Your Ego to be in Charge

VALERIE SMITH: Everyone, everywhere wants to believe that they have integrity in their life. But, we can sometimes fool ourselves when we learn to manipulate people or situations to get what we want, when we want it. As long as we perceive ourselves as creating no harm, we believe that we are right in what we choose to do.

But, if we want others to believe in us and respect us, then we need to set a high standard of integrity for our behaviours, learning or should I say, choosing to not listen to our ego when it gets anxious or fearful, for it is our ego, that takes over our behaviour and decisions whenever we lose our ethic sensibility.

It is in our best interest to recognize our shortfalls by owning them and then doing whatever we can to carry the energy of integrity. We can best do this by carrying or wearing stones from nature which hold the energy we need, which will assist us in using our higher values as our energies shift to match the stones we have with us.

Dragon's Bloodstone from South Africa is an olive green, with red stone. This stone connects us to our heart, strengthening our energy on all levels, uplifting our self-esteem with internal power that comes from honour and integrity. When we keep this energy near us, it inspires us to be a better person, to be available to help others and to always know who we are at heart level. It has more benefits too, as it also boosts our immune system, bringing a high level of health. When we feel better, we are always happier and more able to accept the changes we need.

Tiger's Eye, the golden brown variety, also strengthens our inner power, putting us in touch with our ability to accomplish our goals. It helps us to recognize our worth, talents and abilities. Being in a positive state lessens the ego's desires and empowers us to act with integrity. This stone also helps us on the mental level, bringing clarity to our thoughts and the information we take in, so we are less confused when making decisions or in need of changing direction in life.

Blue Kyanite never holds negative energy. It opens our communication centres, helping us to speak our truth. It holds a highly spiritual energy, helping us to attune to our spiritual self, and to feel guided by a higher level of being. This is a great stone to wear as a necklace, as it opens the throat chakra bringing integrity to our communication. When we speak and act from a higher truth, we will hold integrity, and will find those around us have a deeper sense of integrity too. We all know that like attracts like.

Sardonyx is well known for its protective abilities. Its colours range from black to brown to reddish-brown. There is also a green sardonyx variety of this stone, which holds a similar but, with different attributes. The great thing about Sardonyx is that it deepens our need to search for truth. We find ourselves wanting to know more about ourselves, others and the universe. This openness to learning a higher truth, brings a wonderful side effect of integrity. When we want to know more, it means we actually care.

Sardonyx also strengthens ones character, which brings integrity into partnerships in business, friendship and a happy long lasting marriage. This stone is known to bring vitality and stamina and to lift depression. For protection of your home, place the stones in a grid on your property. For personal help, wear or carry the stone.

Muscovite, which can be found in many colours like, yellow, white, grey, red, violet, green or brown, helps us to develop our spiritual self. Its energy is like a mirror reflecting to us our truth. It helps us to know both our weaknesses and our strengths, so that we may use our strengths to overcome our weaknesses. This stone also helps us on an emotional level, so we do not over-react in emotional situations, allowing us to maintain our integrity when we feel hurt by another. It also helps us to awaken to our spirituality in a slow gentle way, so that we are not overwhelmed by connecting to spirit too fast. Muscovite also assists if one experiences too much psychic energy causing headaches, vertigo, insomnia and bad dreams. Either, place the stone below your pillow or wear or carry it, to access it energy.

Amazonite a beautiful greeny-blue stone, brings a calming and balancing effect to energy. It blocks the negative energy of geopathic-stress, it protects us from electromagnetic energy and absorbs the negative energy from cell phones and microwaves. For us personally, it balances the right and left-brain hemispheres and our masculine and feminine energies of the body, helping us to see other sides or different points of view. It soothes and calms our nervous system and any emotional trauma we may experience. It lessens our fears and releases negative energies, helping us to use our intuitive abilities without ego taking over. Place larger stones near negative energy zones, like electronics, attach a small stone to your cell phone or carry or wear it as jewellery to receive its benefits.

Though pyrite is not pictured above, it is definitely worth mentioning. Also known as 'Fools Gold', it helps us to know what is of true value. We have a deeper understanding of what is important and what is frivolous. We are driven to walk a straight path, known as the 'Red Road' in Native culture. We will live our life according to a higher law. Wear in a medicine pouch with a piece of white sage.

Life is never simple and we may have difficulty in not allowing our pride to get in the way of what is right, butas Dr. Phil says, "Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy?" I say, "Be happy."

Blessed Be.