"Fame or integrity: which is more important? Money or happiness: which is more valuable? Success or failure: which is more destructive? If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled. If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself. Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." Lao-Tzu 6th Century Philosopher

As the month of August draws to a close, I am really excited about it. August was a tough month for me in many respects, mostly because I behaved a bit like a spoiled kid several times throughout the month but hey – no need to pick on me for it, rest assured I’ve kicked my own a** enough. Yes the month of August was difficult still being optimistic (after being spoiled of course!), I’m trying to believe that it sharpened my survival skills a teensy bit and try not to believe that it just plain ol’sucked. I suffered from a serious lack of motivation and felt as though I was moving through sludge – or rather my monkey mind was quiet and I felt as though I was behaving normal, which for some of us feeling normal is a bit like feeling we are trapped.

As we enter September all of us Cardinal signs are just feeling like we’re getting our momentum after feeling like we were swimming all summer long. Wyane Dryer once said “You can never get enough of what you don’t want” that pretty much sums up how I felt about my emotions of August! Now that we are moving closer to the season of my absolute favorite group of the Zodiac (Scorpios in case you just crawled out from under a rock!) we are all feeling much more fearless and doubtless. If you are one of my adored Scorpio readers, now that your planet is out of retrograde you will be coming alive with ideas, motivations, and most of all – you will be more at peace. Or as much peace as a Scorp can expect to have.

The quote I chose above embodies a struggle that I leap back and forth from day to day. Some of it I have the answers to at various points in the day, then the ego kicks in, my inner critic takes hold and poof it’s gone. Mostly with relation to my training with horses, there’s constant nagging for me to go bigger, do more and compete with the “big dogs” if you will. When I walked away from a career years ago in order to train I knew I made the correct decision, at times when the bank account gets low I wonder, then I go to teach a lesson and realize I am on the right track after all. It’s an eternal judgment that I can’t seem to escape and perhaps I never will, you all know the struggle of judgment and far too often we are the worst at judging ourselves which is why we judge others so harshly.

However there are times in the rush of life, or the push to go big, stay tough, give 110%, or be the best the message gets lost of the bend and give of life.
The inner bend, give, flex and fluidity of us that demonstrates itself through our actions is the true test of life. Life is about perseverance yes, it’s also about knowing when to sit still and not move or pick up your bow and sword and cry out your battle call to go to war. That’s the glory of it all, and you can relate it to whatever your passion in life might be. I don’t expect in this life to ever stop wondering when I have to sit and be still or go to war, that changes every day like the tides or events that unfold before me. I do however expect myself to become as fluid, flexible and supple as possible, I also expect myself to realize that in every moment I am fulfilled and I have all I need regardless of whether my inner judge decides my bank account is too low, my job isn’t good enough, my horse training program is lacking or my horses aren’t learning fast enough.

So good riddance August, welcome September a time when us Cardinal signs will roar, and we are all reminded with the changing of the seasons also comes an opportunity to be a demonstration of sinuous-ness in our lives! To sum it up quit pouting and open your eyes!