Definition: feeling profound respect or expressing adoring veneration; worshipful

Quotes:
• Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. — John Milton (1608-1674) English poet civil servant
• Nature best teaches how to pray, and how to reverence all the gifts the Almighty has given us. She is like a vast outspread handkerchief, embroidered with God’s eternal name, on which we may dry alike our tears of sorrow and of joy; she turns weeping into ecstasy, and fills our hearts with speechless, quiet reverence and resignation. — Robert Schumann (1810–1856) German composer

Definitions: (1) showing respect for others; considerate; courteous; (2) aware of other views and sensibilities; heedful; mindful; attentive; (3) characterized by or manifesting careful deliberation; contemplative; cognitive; (4) actions resulting from thought; decisiveness; creativity; (5) possessing the power of reasoning; reflective imagination; (6) able to fit different concepts together; elastic; supple; (7) competent in turning ideas into ideals and ideals into ideas; (8) occupied with or given to religious reflection; meditative
     See also: Thinking

Balancing Qualities: Creative, Curious, Flexible, Open, Persistent

Quotes:
• The soul is dyed with the color of its thoughts. — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (121-180) Roman Emperor and Philosopher
• Govern your thoughts as if your future depends on them, because it does. — Debra Saint Claire (1952 -) Master Herbalist

Reflection: Others deserve your special attention because they are valuable. If you realize their worth, you will wish to be good to them – thoughtful, considerate, and courteous.

Comments:
• Positive thoughts expand. Negative thoughts contract.
• In order to be thoughtful, you have to know (or gamble on knowing) what the other person desires, needs, or wants. There are subtle signs, but one way that is pretty definite: Ask.

Definitions: (1) first in order; preceding all others; the beginning; (2) arising or arranged independently; inventive; novel; (3) thinking or acting in an individual or creative manner

Quote:
• A mind that’s afraid to toy with the ridiculous will never come up with the brilliantly original. — Glen David Brin (1950-) Brightness Reef {1995}
• The story of man’s ascent from seaweed to the lordship of earthly creation is indeed a romance of biologic struggle and mind survival. Man’s primordial ancestors were literally the slime and ooze of the ocean bed in the sluggish and warm-water bays and lagoons of the vast shore lines of the ancient inland seas. (65:2.1) — The Urantia Book {1955}

Definition: (1) taking advantage of conditions that are favorable to the attainment of a goal; open to success; (2) able to view difficulty as an opportunity

Metaphors:
• Today’s stumbling blocks are tomorrow’s stepping stones.
• Regrets are temptations fulfilled or opportunities unfulfilled. Learn from both.

Quote: When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us. — Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) Scottish-Canadian Inventor

Observation: Problem solvers and risk takers are opportunistic.

Suggestion: If you are not experiencing any difficulties, then appreciate this peaceful time with thankfulness. If your life becomes too placid, you will be happier if you choose to extend yourself with a challenge. When your life is too hectic, take the opportunity to relax. Difficulties can be seen as blessings and hardships as opportunities; each can be an occasion to acquire some positive personal qualities.

Admonition: You rarely regret the positive things you try. You only regret the things you wish you had done.
     If you regret what you have done, then at least you’ve done it and had not been scared away from a difficult but desirable situation. Then again, the regret may be, as often is the case, not the fact of the action but the immature way or imperfect manner in which you attempted it. Forgiveness and reflective thought are the transforming mechanisms which can change regret into a positive learning process (even if all you’ve learned is that you don’t want to do it again).

Definitions: (1) making known the truth; (2) a clear, coherent, often creative, and imaginative presentation through any medium

Quotes:
• No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create, or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit. — Ansel Easton Adams (1902–1984) American nature photographer
• The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs. — Charles Pierre Baudelaire (1821–1867) French poet

Divine Definitions: (1) Impossible to move or to be thrown off balance; fixed; (2) Immutable in character; steadfast; (3) Changeless; (4) Unvarying in purpose; dauntless; (5) Unified in administration; permanent; (6) Full of composure; self-possessed; (7) Holding steady the equilibrium of the universe; firm; solid; (8) Trustworthy; stalwart; (9) Self-sufficient

Comment: Things are constantly changing for finite beings. The one sure thing we can count on is the consistency inherent in, and caused by, the stability of God.

STABLE
Human Definitions: (1) not easily moved or thrown off balance; not likely to break down, fall apart, or give way; steady; fixed; (2) firm in character, purpose, or resolution; steadfast; stalwart; (3) enduring or possibly permanent; long lasting; firm; solid; (4) capable of returning to equilibrium or original position after having been displaced; flexible; (5) full of composure; self-possessed; self-sufficient

Balancing Qualities: Adventuresome, Changeable, Lively

Too Far: stagnant

Quote: Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. — Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American author

Reflection: We hold on to our old selves while allowing our new selves to grow around the old. We are like coral, where the old is the structure upon which the new growth of life is active. The old self is a record of what we have chosen. The only you that is alive and vibrant is the new you. The past is the structure upon which we rely for stability. We know ourselves by who we have been, and yet we are not our past structure any more than we are our body.

Symbols: 1) the cube; 2) the number four

Definitions: (1) taking particular notice of the value of someone or something; (2) honoring or holding another in high regard because of their station, character, or behavior; (3) showing consideration or concern for another’s privacy and feelings; (4) ahimsa <respect for all living things>

Derivation: Latin, “to look back and see”

Quotes:
• The higher a creature’s education, the more respect he has for the knowledge, experience, and opinions of others. (25:3.12) — The Urantia Book {1955}
• The only hope of preserving what is best lies in the practice of an immense charity, a wide tolerance, a sincere respect for opinions that are not ours. — Philip Gilbert Hamerton (1834-1894) English artist

Definitions: (1) able or quick to receive knowledge, ideas, or persons; (2) willing or inclined to receive suggestions or offers; (3) capable of accepting fortune (good or ill) in stride; (4) disposed to accept praise with humility

Poem:
Sometimes up … Other times down
Big smiles … Waterfalls
Make the best of it … As no one knows
It’s up to you how it goes
— Larissa Qat (~1990’s-) Italian art & cultural management professional

Quotes:
• Some things that are invisible and untouchable can nevertheless be seen and felt. — Michael Chabon (1963-) Summerland {2002}
• Children are extremely perceptive and absorb what goes on around them long before they can talk or even comprehend language. They are like finely tuned receivers that pick up much more than is merely said. They are receptive and attuned to every mood, feeling, and change that goes on in people around them. — Theodore Isaac Rubin (1923–2019) American psychiatrist

Symbol: the cauldron

Definitions: (1) granting or giving a part of yourself; altruistic; selfless; (2) dividing and distributing in fair portions; apportioning; (3) partaking, using, experiencing, occupying, or enjoying with others; (4) owning in common; (5) being a benefactor

Synonyms: big-hearted, contributing, generous, magnanimous, munificent

Quotes:
• The best partnerships aren’t dependent on a mere common goal but on a shared path of equality, desire, and no small amount of passion. — Sarah MacLean (1978-) American author
• If you think a complimentary thought about someone, don’t just think it. Dare to compliment people and pass on compliments to them from others. — Catherine Ponder (1927-) The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity {1962}

Comment: God created the universe because his primary motive is love, and the primary attribute of love is to share.

Definitions: (1) wise or judicious in practical affairs; (2) discreet or circumspect; cautious but sensible; (3) careful in providing for the future; provident

Derivation: Latin, “to separate or set apart,” “to distinguish”

Synonyms: considerate, economical, frugal, sagacious, thoughtful

Too Far: Looking into the future with fearful caution may lead to cowardice and failure.

Dictum: Chance fights ever on the side of the prudent. — Euripides (480–406 bc) Greek playwright

Quote: Happiness exists on earth, and it is won through prudent exercise of reason, knowledge of the harmony of the universe, and constant practice of generosity. — José Julián Martí Pérez (853–1895) Cuban poet, philosopher

Comment: Prudence has been called the “queen of values.”

Symbols: 1) a dolphin entwined around an anchor [arrested speed]; 2) jade: When asked, “Why was jade valued by the sages?” Confucius replied, “It is because the ancient sages were comparing Jade with the virtues. Jade represents kindness because it is soft and smooth to the touch. It represents prudence because its structure is fine and compact and thus solid. It represents justice because it has edges but does not injure. It represents good faith because its beautiful interior qualities can be seen from the outside. It is the image of sincerity as its luster is not veiled by its defects nor its defects by its luster.”