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Monthly Archives: April 2024
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7 Questions Inspired by Viktor Frankl That Will Instantly Shift Your Perspective on Life
Beyond suffering: finding freedom, meaning and purpose
Published in Personal Growth
Jan 5, 2024 (Medium.com)
The great psychologist Viktor Frankl survived three concentration camps. He founded logotherapy, a form of therapy centred on finding meaning in life. Suffering stripped Frankl bare, leaving only the desperate search for meaning to stave off insanity.
He concluded that enduring the ordeal hinged on forging a reason to live, a purpose beyond the loss and despair.
Frankl doesn’t sell easy answers in his teachings.
But rather potent questions to ponder.
For example, “What is life asking of me?”
“It is we ourselves who must answer the questions that life asks of us, and to those questions we can respond only by being responsible for our existence,” he says. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he wrote a deeper explanation.
What life asks us to look beyond our immediate circumstances and personal desires. It prompts us to ponder the larger purpose and meaning in our lives. Frankl argued that responsibility is a key component of finding meaning in life.
“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible,” — Viktor E. Frankl
When you ask what life asks of you, you confront the idea that you are not merely a passive recipient of circumstances but an active participant in your life. It’s a shift from passive to active living. That means you take ownership of your actions, choices, and their consequences.
Frankl believed that focusing on the responsibilities and opportunities in life is how we find purpose, even in the face of suffering and adversity.
When you ask yourself, “What is it that life is asking of me?” you are compelled to reflect on your values, goals and the bigger picture.
The reward?
A shift from a self-centred perspective to a more outward-focused one — an invitation to actively participate in your own life.
The questions below will force you to confront shadows you might prefer to ignore, to wrestle with your existential anxieties.
Deep questions is how I confront my existential void and reframe suffering. Use these meaningful life questions to transcend the many curveballs in life.
A life full of meaning and the unshakable conviction that even in the darkest times, you can choose your response in life.
Frankl inspired me to ask my own existential questions to gain clarity in life. I hope they help you answer concepts like responsibility in the face of suffering and the inherent freedom we possess even in the most dire circumstances.
They’ve helped me rewrite my relationship with life.
Prepare to introspect.
Beyond suffering: meaning and purpose
“Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation. You cannot control what happens to you in life, but you can always control what you will feel and do about what happens to you.” — Frankl
- Viktor Frankl believed that even the darkest experiences can hold seeds of potential growth. What lessons have you learned from your challenges that have made you stronger and more resilient?
- How can you approach suffering not as a roadblock but as a teacher? What wisdom can you extract from difficult experiences that can enrich your life and the lives of others?
- Imagine life without suffering. Would it be meaningful? Would it be truly human? How does the ability to overcome hardship shape who we are and what we value?
- Imagine waking up each day with a clear sense of purpose, your own personal “why.” What would that purpose be? How would it change your approach to life’s challenges?
Finding freedom
“It is not freedom from conditions, but it is freedom to take a stand toward the conditions.” — Frankl
- Even in the most confined circumstances, what freedoms can you still exercise? Freedom of thought, attitude, and how you respond to your situation?
- Despite everything life throws your way, your ability to choose your response remains constant. What choices will you make that align with your values, even in difficult situations?
- Can you identify personal values that transcend fleeting emotions or desires? What guiding principles or ideals do you want to anchor your life around, regardless of circumstance?
Viktor Frankl’s life questions and contemplations are transformative tools. It’s the secret to a profound understanding of your existence, values, and the meaningful contributions you can make.
Use them to see the world through a new lens, one where you are not a passive observer but an active participant in the direction of your life.
“What is the meaning of life?” is a big life question. It’s your job to answer with your mindset and actions.
If you enjoy learning about humanity’s greatest thinkers, you might like Perennial Learner tools/lessons for life. I break down concepts, principles, ancient wisdom and habits for levelling up. 70K subscribers receive my weekly essays.
Written by Thomas Oppong
·Writer for Personal Growth
Making the wisdom of great thinkers instantly accessible. As seen on Forbes, Inc. and Business Insider. For my popular essays, go here: https://thomasoppong.com
New York Times Reports More Black Americans Moving To Africa To Escape U.S. Racism
The legacy of discrimination and racial pandemic prompted many of us to seek a new life abroad.
Published in The Daily Quinn
Mar 19, 2024 (thedailyquinn.com)
Black Americans have been trying to escape American racism — from segregation to heinous organized violence, such as lynchings — for generations. In America, we feel hyper-visible in ways that perhaps may not exist in other countries. This reality is all too routine and indicative of the recent report from the New York Times highlighting an increased number of Black Americans moving to Africa to escape American racism.
According to the Diaspora Affairs Office of Ghana, at least 1,500 African Americans moved to the country between 2019 and 2023. Despite potential concerns for newcomers — including a wave of extreme anti-L.G.B.T.Q. policies across the continent — Black Americans are still making the trip.
“Come home, build a life in Ghana. You do not have to stay…Africa is waiting for you.” — Barbara Gyasi, Ghana Tourism Minister
In a 2020 interview with USA Today, with more than a dozen expatriate Black Americans spread out across the globe from the Caribbean to West Africa, it became clear that for some, the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis provided fresh evidence that living outside the USA can be an exercise in self-preservation.
For other Black Americans who chose what amounts to a form of foreign exile, Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests confirmed that leaving may not mean a life free from racism and police brutality, but it at least feels somewhat more within reach.
“I don’t have to think of myself as a Black woman,” Lakeshia Ford, who lives in Ghana tells Kim Hjelmgaard from USA Today.
Ford said that although racism in the USA contributed to the decision, her move to Ghana was not a direct reaction to prejudice. She was equally intrigued by Ghanaian culture and what she saw as a growing economic success story rarely portrayed in the West, where Africa for many is synonymous with disease, poverty, and conflict.
“When I got here, I remember thinking: There’s wealthy Black people here. No one tells you that. I was really pissed off about it. I was also really intrigued,” she said.
Organizations like the Exodus Club have also been helping people in the African diaspora move to the continent since 2017. R.J. Mahdi, 38, a consultant for the group, moved from Ohio to Senegal 10 years ago.
Mr. Mahdi said he’d seen an increase in the number of Black Americans relocating to Africa in the past several years. “There are 10 times as many coming now as there were five or six years ago,” he said. By his estimate, demand for the Exodus Club’s services has grown at least 20 percent every year since its founding, when it had about 30 clients.
Mrs. Kirya-Ziraba, who is Jewish, said that when she moved to Uganda to join her husband, Israel Kirya, she went from being “a minority within a minority” to being surrounded by those who share her race and faith. Mrs. Kirya-Ziraba, who worked for a commercial real estate company in Texas, now runs Tikvah Chadasha Foundation, a nonprofit supporting Ugandan women and disabled children.
She and her husband live in Mbale, a small city home to the Abayudaya Jewish community, which has about 2,000 members.
In Uganda, she no longer faces “a thousand cuts” of racism, she said. For years she had made accommodations, big and small, to try to control other people’s perceptions: smiling to appear nonthreatening, buying nicer clothes to avoid being mistaken for a domestic worker, and straightening her hair to be seen as more professional.
She knew she had been acquiescing, but, she said, “I didn’t know the extent until I didn’t have to do any of that.”
The departure also indicates efforts to escape financial barriers imposed by structural racism, such as redlining and discriminatory mortgage lending practices in housing. Lending Tree recently reported that between 2019 and 2022, the median net worth for Black families skyrocketed by 58% to $44,100, while white families spiked by 30% to $284,310. Simply put, as Black wealth increased, — so did the racial wealth gap.
Racism and discrimination have historically shaped the experiences of Black homebuyers and owners in the United States, making it difficult for them to accumulate generational wealth.
Some of us are now seeking a change.
There is no official record of how many Black Americans have recently chosen to leave the United States, but based on personal accounts, there seems to have been an increase in interest in the topic since the racial justice protests of 2020.
It’s important to note, however, that moving to Africa may not be the perfect solution for everyone, as the trauma of racism and history of discrimination won’t disappear just with a change of location. It’s possible that moving could trigger old racial tensions.
While many of us consider whether to take flight, it’s unclear which double burden is worse: that of leaving, and possibly facing being ‘othered’ in the motherland or staying where we’re required to confront racism to survive.
Quintessa Williams is a Staff Writer for HBCU Buzz & EIC for The Daily Quinn, — a breaking news publication for African Americans. Williams is also a Contributing Journalist for The Root, MadameNoire, and Medium.
Written by Quintessa L. Williams
·Editor for The Daily Quinn
Afra-American Journalist ??| #WEOC | Blacktivist | EIC of TDQ | Editor for Cultured & AfroSapiophile. Bylines in The Root, MadameNoire, ZORA, & Momentum.
The Astrology Of April 2024 – Jupiter Conjunct Uranus In Taurus
(Astrobutterfly.com)
To say April 2024 is an important month it’s an understatement.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock – or you’re just starting out with astrology – you know that April 2024 is when Jupiter conjuncts Uranus in Taurus. The exact conjunction happens on April 20th-21st, 2024, but its influence is already building up and will be more strongly felt in the 2nd half of the month.
Before the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, we have another significant astrological event: an intense Solar Eclipse in Aries.
This Eclipse is important for multiple reasons: it’s a Total Eclipse, which means it’s by default more intense than a partial Eclipse (the majority of Eclipses are partial). And it’s EXACTLY conjunct Chiron. We haven’t had such an intense Eclipse in a long time!
The first half of the month is INTENSE to say the least. Mercury is retrograde, we have a Total Solar Eclipse, and Mars conjuncts Saturn, to name just a few.
The 2nd half of the month, however, promises to be much more uplifting. On April 20-21st, 2024 we have Jupiter conjunct Uranus, on April 26th, 2024, Mercury goes direct, and at the end of the month, the planets of relationships, Venus and Mars, move into the sign of their domicile.
I really like the last week of April. For the first time in a long time, it feels that things are moving in a positive direction.
But let’s take a look at the most important transits of the month:
April 5th, 2024 – Venus Enters Aries
On April 5th, 2024, Venus leaves Pisces and enters Aries.
Perhaps the best quality of Venus in Aries is emotional honesty. When we tap into Venus in Aries’ boldness and aliveness with an open heart, we automatically connect with that part of us that is fearless and unapologetically authentic.
Venus in Aries is a great transit to practice emotional honesty with yourself and others. Emotional honesty isn’t about making demands, or making other people feel wrong. It’s our repressed emotions that eventually come out aggressively or self-righteous.
April 8th, 2024 – New Moon And Solar Eclipse In Aries
On April 8th, 2024 we have a New Moon and Solar Eclipse at 19° Aries. The Eclipse is tightly conjunct Chiron (at 19° Aries). Just like a Phoenix, at the Solar Eclipse, we WILL rise from our wounds with a renewed sense of identity.
The thoughts, emotions, flashbacks, events, or interactions that will surface at the time of the Eclipse will trigger our vulnerabilities and unprocessed pain, but if we stay there, we have a unique chance to rewrite the story of our wound to unlock its hidden potential.
April 10th, 2024 – Mars Conjunct Saturn in Pisces
On April 10th, 2024, Mars is conjunct Saturn at 14° Pisces.
Mars wants to act NOW, but Saturn wants to do things LATER – not because he’s lazy (on the contrary) but because he wants to think things through and make sure something of lasting value is built.
The Mars-Saturn conjunction may feel very frustrating – but it will also give us that extra push and determination to get things done, by finding a good compromise between impulse-driven action and practicality.
April 15th, 2024 – Mercury Conjunct Chiron
April 15th, 2024, Mercury retrograde is conjunct Chiron at 18° Aries. This is the 2nd Mercury-Chiron transit in a series of 3 (the first was on March 20th, at 19° Aries, and the 3rd will be on May 7th, at 21° Aries).
Mercury retrograde, with its introspective quality, gives us an opportunity to dig deeper into the root causes of our wound (Chiron) and reframe our understanding of ourselves.
Maybe our wound – and the story around it – is not really as permanent or defining as we once believed. Perhaps we can gain a clearer understanding. Perhaps we can rewrite the narrative.
April 19th, 2024 – Sun Enters Taurus
On April 19th, 2024, the Sun enters Taurus. Welcome to the Taurus season, a so-very-special season, particularly this year.
While Jupiter and Uranus in Taurus are now very close to each other, it’s Sun’s ingress into Taurus that will give the green light to tap into the archetypal energy of the sign.
Sun in Taurus will make it clearer for us what the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction means to us at a personal level.
April 21st, 2024 – Jupiter Conjunct Uranus
On April 20-21st, 2024, Jupiter is conjunct Uranus at 21° Taurus.
Jupiter conjunct Uranus is an exciting transit in itself. What’s not to be excited about? Jupiter is the great benefic, bringing opportunities for growth and expansion. Uranus is the planet of progress and surprises.
We have a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction once every 13-14 years, and it’s the only time it happens in Taurus during our lifetime. Jupiter conjunct Uranus promises to bring a very exciting opportunity in the Taurus sector of your chart.
There’s something magical about this transit. Uranus brings the excitement element, and Jupiter suggests that, while we may not anticipate what Uranus has in store for us, it is likely something positive.
Of course, just because a transit looks great on paper, this doesn’t mean everyone will win the lotto.
If you have planets or angles around 21° in Taurus (or Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn and Pisces), you will likely experience the positive manifestations of Jupiter conjunct Uranus.
If instead, you have planets or angles around 21°in the other fixed signs, this powerful transit might challenge you at first. It’s not that the developments Jupiter and Uranus bring are not positive in essence, but it may not feel that way at first, because change is not always easy, especially for fixed signs.
Whatever happens (or doesn’t) around the time of this conjunction, pay attention to any messages or downloads you receive. There WILL be opportunities – but you have to seize them, and say yes to them.
April 23rd, 2024 – Full Moon In Scorpio
On April 23rd, 2024, we have a Full Moon at 4° Scorpio. This is an intense Full Moon square its ruler, Pluto (now at 2° Aquarius).
The Full Moon in Scorpio is a great time to release emotional baggage that no longer serves us. The Pluto square however is anything but comfortable. Power struggles, hidden agendas, or subconscious desires may come to the surface.
Pluto will ask us to confront these heads on, however uncomfortable the process may be. Yet, it’s precisely through this process of facing our shadows that we can experience true self-awareness and empowerment.
April 26th, 2024 – Mercury Goes Direct
On April 26th, 2024, Mercury stations direct at 15° Aries. This is a relief after a period of reflection and recalibration during a VERY intense Mercury retrograde.
Due to its station, Mercury has spent – and will continue to spend an unusual amount of time in the proximity of Chiron and the North Node.
Now that Mercury has turned direct, it’s time to reflect on the lessons learned and move forward with a clearer perspective. Once we have identified self-sabotaging patterns of thinking, we can now rewrite them with healthier and more empowering beliefs.
April 29th, 2024 – Mars Conjunct Neptune
On April 29th, 2024, Mars is conjunct Neptune at 28° Pisces.
When Mars, the planet of personal will is conjunct Neptune, the planet of divine guidance and surrender, the message is: don’t force your way through.
Listen to subtle messages, watch for serendipities and find a higher purpose for your actions. When we’re open to receiving divine guidance, our actions have meaning and impact.
April 29th, 2024 – Venus Enters Taurus
On April 29th, 2024, Venus enters Taurus, her domicile sign. We all know that when Venus is happy, everyone is happy.
Venus in Taurus encourages us to slow down and savor the simple pleasures of life. As native Taurus Dave Gahan says “words are very unnecessary”. We’re wired to believe that to be happy (Venus) we have to have more, do more, get busy, or fill up the empty spaces.
But Venus – the planet of happiness and contentment – doesn’t need any of these. Venus in Taurus is a reminder that happiness is not about doing – but about being. Simply sink into the present moment and enjoy the silence.
April 30th, 2024 – Mars Enters Aries
Uh oh! On April 30th, 2024, Mars enters Aries. There’s no other planet that makes such a bold and triumphant transition from the dreamy waters of Pisces into the fiery realm of Aries.
If you’ve been feeling a bit sluggish in the last few weeks when Mars was in Pisces, this will now change.
In Aries, Mars does what he knows best: takes action. When Mars is in other signs, we always find reasons not to act. Mars in Taurus? “It takes too long”. Mars in Gemini? “I can’t focus”. Mars in Cancer? “What if it hurts other people’s feelings?” Mars in Leo?” What if I make a fool of myself?”. Mars in Virgo? “What if it’s not perfect?”.
When Mars is in Aries, the time is now. We naturally connect with that part of our psyche that is always ready for action.
PS: In the coming weeks, I will write 2 reports: one about the Solar Eclipse in Aries, and another one about the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Taurus. Stay tuned!
Mercury retrograde: April 1 – April 24
The spiral path
Word-Built World: occulation
Tarot Card for April 3: The Ace of Cups
| The Ace of Cups The Ace of Cups represents the beginning of love, fertility and creativity. It is a card to inspire confidence and happiness. When it turns up a reading of an everyday nature it can indicate the start of a loving relationship (of either the romantic or friendship variety); it can represent the beginning of a project in which a great deal of loving energy is invested (rather like the beginning of angelpaths); or sometimes it can reveal conception – the beginning of a new life.If you are looking at the Ace of Cups indicating a new relationship, then there will also be people cards up. If it is a romantic relationship, expect to see other good Cups, and perhaps the Lovers. Friendship will be more indicated by Wand type good cards.The beginning of a project will normally have something like the Star or the Priestess, and Disks around it. These will help you to determine the viability of the project.Pregnancy will usually come up with other cards which also indicate pregnancy Princess of Disks, Ace of Wands, and possibly the Empress.But at a spiritual level the Ace of Cups is even more important. The chalice depicted on most versions of this card is taken to be the Holy Grail, or in pagan terms, the Cauldron of Kerridwyn – source of inspiration and granter of wishes and dreams.In this interpretation of the card then, we are examining a major spiritual step forward – a period where the deepest and most heartfelt spiritual desires of the querent come to the surface, and may be identified and pursued.When this card comes up with the Hierophant, The Sun, The Moon or sometimes with Death, we must see ourselves as entering into a major transformational period from which we will emerge totally changed by the power of the Universe. During periods such as these we touch the very essence of spiritual power, and hopefully, we succeed in growing toward it, and allowing a little more of its light within us. |
Spiritual Emergence and Psychosis with Brian Spittles
“What the schizophrenic drowns in the shaman swims in.” The difference is the absence of swimming lessons.
Brian Spittles
New Thinking • Apr 2, 2024 • Brian Spittles, PhD, is an academic researcher and member of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium which aims to integrate clinical, scientific, and spiritual paradigms to improve therapeutic outcomes. His research includes consciousness studies, transpersonal psychology, psychosis, mental health recovery, quantum physics, mysticism, and indigenous knowledge/healing systems. He is author of Psychosis, Psychiatry, and Psychospiritual Considerations: Engaging and Better Understanding the Madness and Spiritual Emergence Nexus. The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium website is theeprc.org. Brian shares that the features of a spiritual emergency and psychospiritual emergence have much in common with what is known as psychosis and are frequently indistinguishable. Indigenous cultures view these experiences as normal and part of the mysteries of being human. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:50 Psychosis history 00:07:44 Discerning psychospiritual vs. psychopathological 00:14:06 Shamanism framework 00:18:46 Biological correlates 00:23:30 Stanley Dean: Metapsychiatry 00:28:47 Religious and spiritual values 00:40:50 Spiritual Emergency: Stanislav and Christina Grof 00:57:45 Beyond labels 01:00:50 Conclusion Edited subtitles for this video are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish. #spirituality#psychosis#mentalhealth#consciousness New Thinking Allowed CoHost, Emmy Vadnais, OTR/L, is a licensed occupational therapist, intuitive healer, and health coach based in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is the author of Intuitive Development: How to Trust Your Inner Knowing for Guidance With Relationships, Health, and Spirituality. Her website is https://emmyvadnais.com/ (Recorded on February 22, 2024)