In this week\u2019s Daily Focus, I want to talk about The Seven Deadly\nSins, but in a good way. Hear me out. I spend a lot of time thinking about\nshame and guilt, and the distinction between the two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of these, guilt, can be good for us. It\u2019s a learning tool that offers constructive criticism, it tells us, \u201cWow that felt bad, actually, let’s change this behavior to avoid that feeling.\u201d It\u2019s part of what makes us human, and it\u2019s what allows us to grow. The other one, shame, is not a constructive power, it\u2019s a destructive one. Guilt tells us that we did a bad thing, or that we did something badly, while shame tells us that we are a bad person. It urges us to hide pieces of ourselves, to lie, to steal, or worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Seven Deadly sins are the encapsulation of shame-inducing behaviors, all of which have been drilled into our minds as negative by society. But what if we choose to look at these behaviors through the lens of guilt rather than shame? What we end up seeing are avenues for growth, rather than avenues for shame. This week, I\u2019m going to tackle a different Deadly Sin for each day, and how you can actually use each one in a constructive way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEach of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we\ncan’t strike them all by ourselves.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> Oh, Lust. Sex has long been the most shameful aspect of human nature in Western society. People of all genders are taught from a young age that sex is dirty, destructive\u2014and necessary. When you take something as basic as attraction and ascribe to it a moral failing, the shame creeps in early. We are all taught to feel bad about our desires and our actions. However, people have been having sex, even kinky sex, since the dawn of time. If you can learn to listen to your desires and what they reveal about needs that aren\u2019t being fulfilled within you, you\u2019ll gain a deeper understanding of yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf necessity is the mother of invention, then surely greed\nmust be the father. Children of this odd couple are named: Laziness, Envy, Greed,\nJr., Gluttony, Lust, Anger, and Pride.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>John R. Dallas\nJr.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Greed is probably my least favorite of these Deadly Sins because it is the only one that actively takes away from others. However, this is when we look at Greed as a behavior, and not as a feeling. When we look at it as a feeling, we can use it to examine our own desires and our long-term goals. It\u2019s okay to want a safe, luxurious lifestyle\u2014it just depends on how you go about getting there. When it comes to fundamental aspects of your life, shortcuts are not your friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am Envy, begotten of a chimney-sweeper and an oyster-wife. I\ncannot read, and therefore wish all books were burnt.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –Christopher\nMarlowe<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n If we don\u2019t act on Greed, is it just Envy? Is all Envy greedy? If you ask me the answers are yes and no, respectively. Greed without action is just a feeling, which is a form of Envy, but not all Envy is greedy. Greed seeks to take something away from others, while Envy wants what other people have. It\u2019s less about surpassing, and more about achieving. Envy can be a positive force if we use it to set goals and boundaries for ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins; it is\nitself the essence of all sin.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –John Stott<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pride is good if you ask me. We are constantly told to feel bad about ourselves, that we don\u2019t compare to what we see on social media, that we aren\u2019t good enough or strong enough or hot enough. Taking pride in your work, in your body, in yourself\u2014it can be a valiant act of bravery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCuriosity is Gluttony. To see is to devour.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>Victor Hugo<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I think of Gluttony, I think of drinking, or drugs, or other substances that can lead down a rabbit hole of needing more. I think that the core of Sin aspect of Gluttony is feeling like you need more of something, even when the consequences of that action could be dangerous or negative. In today\u2019s world, we are programmed and corralled into feeling like we need things we don\u2019t need. Instead of looking at this desire as a sin, we should look at it as a way to set healthy boundaries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it\ngoes away.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>Paul Terry<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As someone with disabilities, the idea of \u201claziness\u201d is\nsomething I\u2019ve come to abhor in recent years. We do not all move at the same\npace; it doesn\u2019t make any of us bad people. There are a lot of ways to be\nhelpful, useful, and communal without needing to stick to outdated ideas of\nstrength and ability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf all the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –Fredrick\nBuechner<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n My therapist once told me that anger is actually a good thing,\nalthough once again, that\u2019s when it\u2019s a feeling and not a behavior. Sometimes\nwe need anger to help cut us off from other, interconnected emotions. Being\nangry at an ex helps ease the pain of losing them and can help put into\nperspective what went wrong. Does this mean you go key their car? No. It means\nyou learned something valuable, and you can now carry that info with you as go\non. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider yourself leveled up every time you learn a lesson from\none of these Deadly Sins, and don\u2019t let shame get in the way of growth. <\/p>\n\n\n You have a life purpose. Wondering what you\u2019re meant to do? You won\u2019t know until you get a life path reading with one of our talented life path psychics. A life path psychic can help you find what you love so you can love what you do. <\/p>\n About California Psychics<\/strong> Understanding Your Daily Focus In this week\u2019s Daily Focus, I want to talk about The Seven Deadly Sins, but in a good way. Hear me out. I spend a lot of time thinking about shame and guilt, and the distinction between the two. One of these, guilt, can be good for us. It\u2019s a learning tool that offers constructive criticism, it tells us, \u201cWow that felt bad, actually, let’s change this behavior to avoid that feeling.\u201d It\u2019s part of what makes us human, and it\u2019s what allows us to grow. The other one, shame, is not a constructive power, it\u2019s a destructive one. Guilt tells us that we did a bad thing, or that we did something badly, while shame tells us that we are a bad person. It urges us to hide pieces of ourselves, to lie, to steal, or worse. The Seven Deadly sins are the encapsulation of shame-inducing behaviors, all of which have been drilled into our minds as negative by society. But what if we choose to look at these behaviors through the lens of guilt rather than shame? What we end up seeing are avenues for growth, rather than avenues for shame. This week, I\u2019m going to tackle a different Deadly Sin for each day, and how you can actually use each one in a constructive way. Saturday, March 13 Lust \u201cEach of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.\u201d –Laura Esquivel Oh, Lust. Sex has long been the most shameful aspect of human nature in Western society. People of all genders are taught from a young age that sex is dirty, destructive\u2014and necessary. When you take something as basic as attraction and ascribe to it a moral failing, the shame creeps in early. We are all taught to feel bad about our desires and our actions. However, people have been having sex, even kinky sex, since the dawn of time. If you can learn to listen to your desires and what they reveal about needs that aren\u2019t being fulfilled within you, you\u2019ll gain a deeper understanding of yourself. Sunday, March 14 Greed \u201cIf necessity is the mother of invention, then surely greed must be the father. Children of this odd couple are named: Laziness, Envy, Greed, Jr., Gluttony, Lust, Anger, and Pride.\u201d –John R. Dallas Jr. Greed is probably my least favorite of these Deadly Sins because it is the only one that actively takes away from others. However, this is when we look at Greed as a behavior, and not as a feeling. When we look at it as a feeling, we can use it to examine our own desires and our long-term goals. It\u2019s okay to want a safe, luxurious lifestyle\u2014it just depends on how you go about getting there. When it comes to fundamental aspects of your life, shortcuts are not your friend. Monday, March 15 Envy \u201cI am Envy, begotten of a chimney-sweeper and an oyster-wife. I cannot read, and therefore wish all books were burnt.\u201d –Christopher Marlowe If we don\u2019t act on Greed, is it just Envy? Is all Envy greedy? If you ask me the answers are yes and no, respectively. Greed without action is just a feeling, which is a form of Envy, but not all Envy is greedy. Greed seeks to take something away from others, while Envy wants what other people have. It\u2019s less about surpassing, and more about achieving. Envy can be a positive force if we use it to set goals and boundaries for ourselves. Tuesday, March 16 Pride \u201cPride is more than the first of the seven deadly sins; it is itself the essence of all sin.\u201d –John Stott Pride is good if you ask me. We are constantly told to feel bad about ourselves, that we don\u2019t compare to what we see on social media, that we aren\u2019t good enough or strong enough or hot enough. Taking pride in your work, in your body, in yourself\u2014it can be a valiant act of bravery. Wednesday, March 17 Gluttony \u201cCuriosity is Gluttony. To see is to devour.\u201d –Victor Hugo When I think of Gluttony, I think of drinking, or drugs, or other substances that can lead down a rabbit hole of needing more. I think that the core of Sin aspect of Gluttony is feeling like you need more of something, even when the consequences of that action could be dangerous or negative. In today\u2019s world, we are programmed and corralled into feeling like we need things we don\u2019t need. Instead of looking at this desire as a sin, we should look at it as a way to set healthy boundaries. Thursday, March 18 Sloth \u201cWhenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away.\u201d –Paul Terry As someone with disabilities, the idea of \u201claziness\u201d is something I\u2019ve come to abhor in recent years. We do not all move at the same pace; it doesn\u2019t make any of us bad people. There are a lot of ways to be helpful, useful, and communal without needing to stick to outdated ideas of strength and ability. Friday, March 19 Wrath \u201cOf all the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun\u201d –Fredrick Buechner My therapist once told me that anger is actually a good thing, although once again, that\u2019s when it\u2019s a feeling and not a behavior. Sometimes we need anger to help cut us off from other, interconnected emotions. Being angry at an ex helps ease the pain of losing them and can help put into perspective what went wrong. Does this mean you go key their car? No. It means you learned something valuable, and you can now carry that info with you as go on. Consider yourself leveled up every time you learn a lesson from one of these Deadly Sins, and don\u2019t let shame get in the way of growth. You have a life purpose. Wondering what you\u2019re meant to do? You won\u2019t know until you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5958081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7360],"tags":[33908,13736,3060,88],"cp_author":[34322],"class_list":["post-5957905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destiny-life-path","tag-daily-focus","tag-daily-meditation","tag-mantra","tag-meditation","cp_author-juliet-demarco"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/em><\/strong>–Laura Esquivel<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nSunday, March 14 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Greed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Monday, March 15 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Envy<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Tuesday, March 16 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pride<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Wednesday, March 17 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Gluttony<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Thursday, March 18 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sloth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Friday, March 19 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Wrath<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Find a life path psychic or learn more about a life path reading.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
California Psychics is the most trusted source of psychic readings<\/a>. We have delivered over 6 million discreet and confidential psychic readings by phone<\/a> since 1995. More than a prediction, we are your guide for life\u2019s journey. Serenity, happiness, and success are just a phone call away. With over 400 psychics online<\/a> to choose from, you\u2019re sure to find the best psychics<\/a> for you. Call one of our trusted and accurate psychics<\/a> today! Confidential and secure, real psychics<\/a>, accurate predictions, 100% guaranteed.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"