Only one thing stands between me and my success – my micro-movements. I take small steps, be it slowly, I never stop growing and self-improving.

In a modern world, society expects us to subscribe to a horde of mindless advertising standards. As a strong woman, you know who you are.  Not always set on self-love initially, learning along the way by observing and getting in touch with your self allows you to discover all sorts of superpowers you would never have guessed you could possess.

You simply need to trust your own judgement. As any relationship is built on trust, so does your own relationship within improve by working on it.

You should never settle for second best. You may initially think this is all taboo, until it hits you hard.

Once you’ve grasped the magnitude of it’s meaning, you’ll get why settling for less has just wasted your time.

Try to aim higher, be it avoiding gossip, naysayers or drama queens. By implementing healthy boundaries, you’re already letting go of heaps of emotional baggage. Wow does it feel good!

By constantly working on forgiveness, I’ve found that it’s not a gift to the perpetrator. The key to freedom allows one to escape anger. Imagine walking around captive, bitter and twisted, where you could simply let go. Continue reading →

Interested in boosting your empathy levels? There may be a pretty simple, yet satisfying way to do so. Reading novels may just be the answer, according to a psychologist-novelist, the publisher behind Trends In Cognitive Science.

Dr. Keith Oatley, the study author and professor emeritus of the University of Toronto – Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development strongly suggests that we deeply explore the characters on the page, forming ideas about others, their emotions, motives and beliefs, even off the page. This balance or “interaction” between literature and nature is relatively new according to Oatley.

“There’s a bit of a buzz about it now,” he said. “In part, because researchers are recognizing that there’s something important about imagination.”

Brain imaging studies have unearthed new information, enabling the academic climate open to new ideas, citing a study where people were asked to imagine phrases like “an orange dotted cat or a green house” while in a FMRI machine. Continue reading →

Modern science has mostly dismissed the link between disease and date of birth, despite evidence in recent studies.

The seasons were once a huge influence in medicine, and many doctors believed your birth month would affect your health, both mentally and physically.

This study at the Columbia University had a look at medical records of 1.75 million people, born between 1900 and 2000, there was compelling evidence showing that many diseases and disorders like ADHD or reproductive complications, were strongly linked to month of birth.

Birth Month And Health

Summer babies are generally healthier and this is believed to be because of peaked vitamin D exposure.

This study published in the journal Heliyon states that those born in June, July and August had higher birth weights, and most grew up to be tall adults. While those born in December, January and February weighed less at birth and reached puberty earlier, they were also shorter adults.

Children born in fall/autumn are more susceptible to asthma, this is linked to the fact that these children are still very young when experiencing their first winter cold and flu season.  This  2008 study claims that those born in September, October and November had 30% more chance of being asthmatic.

More than 6 million deaths related to heart disease were looked at in this 2011 study which showed that that most of these individuals were November born.

Those born in early spring are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases while those born in early fall are more likely to suffer from respiratory illness.

What alignments are you most at risk of?

January

Hypertension

Continue reading →

Typically, we lead such busy lives that we miss the truly magnificent things that happen around us. But every now and then, Mother Nature does something so breathtaking and improbable, you start to wonder, “Did that really just happen?”

One such instance where this would likely happen: observing the courtship ritual of the males in the bird-of-paradise family.

Paradisaeidae is their scientific classification, andafter watching these stunning displays, you can see why they are commonly called “the bird of paradise.”

These lovely creatures are only found on a small percentage of the earth- in the dense rain forests of New Guinea, and a couple remote islands off the coast of Australia- but their spectacular shows could win the whole world over.

This species exhibits extreme dimorphism in both their physical traits, and their behaviour. Dimorphism is the technical term for when different sexes of the same species have different characteristics or forms. While the males of the Paradisaeidae family show off their Day-Glo colours and alien-like antenna feathers, the females are much more somber-looking. Also, the males exhibit captivating dances and postures that aim to impress the rather picky females.

How did this mating ritual start to take place? In a nutshell, it happened because it could.

Paradisaeidae’s nearest relatives are the crows and jays of the Corvidae family.  But instead of being surrounded by people and societies, they’ve spent much of their evolutionary history on islands that lacked mammalian predators. Without their presence, even the most noticeable behaviors could attract mates rather than danger.

Cornell University’s Birds-of-Paradise Project currently has researchers studying these amazing displays, and they recently released a treasure trove of colourful videos. The following contains some of our favourites.

RAGGIANA BIRD-OF-PARADISE

Continue reading →

Every zodiac sign is known for its core traits and personality characteristics. The signs influence who we are and how we deal with people and life. They play a huge part in what sort of person we are, and while their impact in our lives is often over looked, just because we aren’t aware of this impact, does not mean they don’t still have a direct effect on us and our personalities.

While some signs are relaxed and calm, others are hot tempered and opinionated. Of course, these traits and personality differences can vary quite a bit between each sign, and many other factors come into play causing varying degrees of each trait.

What makes you unique? Do you think that your personality rings true to your zodiac sign? Have a look at these flip cards to discover your zodiac signs 6 dominant personality traits and let us know in the comments if you think yours is accurate or not.

If you were born in the middle of the month you may have been born on a zodiac cusp. A cusp is the term we use to describe a person born in the middle of two astrological signs. It can be a little difficult to tell “Which sign do I read for?” when you’re stuck in the middle. Well, it’s the one that sounds most like you! If it resonates with you, then it’s for you. Simple as that!

The Cusps Explained

Those born on a horoscope cusp are a true blend of both astrological signs. This is because the dates of demarcation between the signs change very slightly, depending on the exact moment the sun moves into a particular constellation, from year to year.

You may wonder why this happens. A horoscope cusp occurs because even though a year is 365 days long, it actually takes the sun 365 days, 4 hours, 35 minutes and 12 seconds to make a complete rotation through all twelve of the zodiac signs. Because of this, the energies tend to blend.

The Zodiac Cusp Dates

As you read these horoscope cusp dates, keep in mind that they will fluctuate slightly from year to year. To counteract this fluctuation, and any ensuing confusion, astrologers dedicate a specific swath of dates for these cusp times. They are as follows. (Also please keep in mind, all this changes if you decide to go by the 28 day, 13 month calendar)

Capricorn-Aquarius (between 1/16-1/22) – The Cusp of Mystery & Imagination

“Capriquarians” often lead unusual lives. It can be a bit of a struggle to balance the two very different sides of their personalities. they are often quiet, yet they like to be social. They crave security but they like their independence. They may be a bit old fashioned, but they like to try new things as well.

Capricorn-Aquarius cuspers love to chat and entertain close friends. They especially enjoy intellectually stimulating conversations about any manner of strange or taboo topics.

That is why no matter how hard they work, life with a Capriquarian will never be dull. Continue reading →