Gung Hay Fat Choy!

The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac.

Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. On the Chinese calendar, 2008 is Lunar Year 4705-4706.

On the Western calendar, the start of the New Year falls on February 7, 2008 — The Year of the Rat. If you were born in 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996 - you were born under the sign of the rat.

Strangely enough, this Chinese New Year falls on my birthday, which I will be celebrating as an non-smoker..the first time in 27 years!

And you may also be quite interested to know...the year 2008 actually works out to a "1" in numerology. 2+0+0+8=10...take away the 0 and you're left with "1"...As a “1” year, 2008 is a time when the world will support new beginnings in all areas of your life. Whatever needs renewing, according to numerology, this year is a great time to do it. That applies to society and to everyone within it.

There are no coincidences...I mentioned my friend's mother last time, who was in the hospital for major surgery. As you know, I quit smoking but what was really incredible was that she also quit, along with her daughter, all around the same time, without any of the others knowing or discussing it. As early as last November, I can honestly say that I did not even consider doing this. The magical aspects of finally quitting were noteworthy and I'll try not to bore you needlessly.

Problem: At present, there are a number of NRT's - Nicotine Replacement Therapies - that are available to assist  a smoker with the cravings and withdrawal symptoms. With such a huge change that I was contemplating, I did the homework and spoke with a doctor and my pharmacist, as well as other recovering smokers, to ensure that I had all the facts. One item that disturbed me was that NRT's like the patch or gum would still put the drug into my system but would not stop the cravings..they simply would ease the withdrawal symptoms. With the facts on hand, I decided on the tried and true method of requesting a sign to indicate my best course of action.

Request: I requested to be shown a caduceus, within 6 hours, to indicate that "cold turkey" was the most harmonious course of action to rid myself of this addiction.

Result: About 10 minutes before the deadline arrived, I had an urge to look in the yellow pages for an ad from a pharmacy I had passed on the bus earlier in the evening. I was concerned that I had been too preoccupied to notice if they had a caduceus on their sign. It turned out they didn't but a further look at some of the other ads showed me one, a pharmacy that specialized in herbal remedies, that had a coiled snake over a small dish as part of their logo. I experienced alternating chills and hot flashes as I viewed this and tried to figure out if this was the sign I had requested. With no external reason for the sensations, it was a no-brainer and I eagerly accepted this as my sign, expressing considerable gratitude for the assistance. Strangely enough, the 10 days I spent with slowly making changes and putting together my plan proved to be 20 times more difficult than actually quitting..and that is no embellishment. Part of the reason can be found below...

It is foolish to have a trusted resource at your disposal and not use it. I'm referring of course to magic. Despite considerable digging around, I could not find a suitable ritual for breaking nicotine addiction and was left to my own devices...I put together a short ceremony, did all the normal preparation, including the incantations specific to my needs, but left one section to be ad libbed, for reasons I do not wish to disclose right now. I had anticipated considerable emotion involved, based on similar ceremonies in the past and did shed some tears but it wasn't too dramatic. It was important to have one final smoke about an hour before so I was able to consciously inform it that this would be the last I would ever have.

Adding to one's Book of Shadows is seldom a negative thing and as I mentioned earlier, the actual quitting was by far much easier than the preparation beforehand. I do not take full credit and give daily thanks for the guidance, love and support that my guides and other entities provide me with. Yes, I did have to do the physical work and make the necessary changes - some much-needed one's I might add - but the one thought that stays with me and provides incredible focus, when I do experience those twinges of cravings is simple...I control my thoughts, words and deeds and being a slave to a substance is no longer acceptable nor will I tolerate it in my new life. And that is how I view it - the start of a new life. I have taken some other huge steps forward, career-wise, and will have some pretty amazing news to share in the very near future.

If you know of somebody that is considering putting away the smokes but needs a good, structured method, that they plan and implement, I HIGHLY suggest Smoker's Helpline online.

The minister told his congregation that on the following Sunday he was going to preach on lying and, by way of preparation, asked them to read the 17th chapter of Mark. When the following Sunday arrived, he asked the congregation, "Those who have read the 17th chapter of Mark, please raise your hands." Numerous hands thoughout the church were raised. The minister looked over his flock and said, "The Gospel of Mark has only 16 chapters. I will now proceed with my sermon on liars."

A minister said, "As I was shaving this morning, I was thinking about my sermon and cut my face." A member of his congregation said later, "The next time he shaves, he ought to think of his face and cut his sermon."

An undertaker wired a man whose mother-in-law had just died and asked whether he should bury, cremate or embalm her. DO ALL THREE. DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES, the man wired back.

A large crowd gathered for the funeral of a farmer's mother-in-law who had been kicked to death by the farmer's mule. Seeing the large number of men among the mourners caused the parson to inquire why so many men were present. "Oh," said the farmer, "they all want to buy the mule."

"Your record is a disgraceful one," said the judge to the prisoner before him, "and there is only explanation: alcohol, alcohol and alcohol." The prisoner replied, with a smile, "I'm glad to hear you say so, judge. Everybody else says it's my own fault."

Please note: I do not wish to injure or insult anybody with this humor and I offer aplogies if I have, in any way.

Thanks for coming by and I hope you have a great week.

 

See you in the ether !   

 

Hiya Nick! Nice to see you! Thanks for the visit; I'm glad you enjoyed yourself at my igloo. I'm pretty sure I'm nowhere near being in the same league ars Rick Mercer, though; I mean, his stuff is all over the internet - not to mention television and radio. Besides, he doesn't have time for little people like me.

Interesting experience you've had, my friend. Seems like the more attuned you become with your Guides, the more open your eyes become to the world around you. That's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. I hope you'll write more often, Nick, as I really enjoying your writings.

Have a great evening/day, my friend - and Wil... Well, he's off BN for an indefinite time, I'm afraid... *sigh*

Hey Nick! A Hearty Huge Congratulations on quitting smoking! That is like slaying a monster! ~applause~ It's a wonderful gift of freedom that you've given yourself. Well done, my friend!

I enjoyed your humor section very much. It gave me quite a few giggles.

I hope it's okay, I added you to my friends list.

Take care, my friend and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Hey Nick, just dropping by to wish you a good day and a good weekend. Thanks for coming by; I sure do enjoy your visits.

Good morrow, Nick! I hope your weekend has been interesting, enjoyable, and fulfilling. I also hope you're feeling better today; I know you've been struggling with flu, so I hope the worst of that has passed and that you're well on the road to recovery...

Just out spreading some Love!

Hope your Valentine's Day is warm & wonderful!