In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how
gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. – Buddha

Last week, we talked about why conscious living is good for us and for our cats. The quote above suggests another component to conscious living that’s also very important: gracious living.

The definition of “gracious” is “characterized by kindness and warm courtesy, “of a merciful and compassionate nature” and “characterized by charm, beauty and elegance.” I think these are all things worth striving for, and I also think that our cats already have all of these qualities.Continue Reading

There are hundreds of folk tales and superstitions surrounding cats, and one of them is that cats steal a dead person’s soul. Of course we know that that’s ridiculous. In fact, and I’m sure that all of you agree with me on this: cats are good for the soul.

People may fall into one of two categories: soul suckers or soul savers. But there’s no doubt in my mind that all cats are soul savers.

You probably know a soul sucker or two. Soul suckers are always negative, angry and judgmental. They get their kicks out of dividing people. They trade their soul for some perceived power over others; a power that exists only in their own minds. They’re the ones who always come up with warnings about everything. They leave nasty comments on blogs and on Facebook. Life is always hard, things are always bad, and they just know the world is going to hell in a hand basket. They suck all the energy out of a room, and they want everyone around them to commiserate and live the same miserable lives they do.Continue Reading

A few months ago, I wrote a Sunday Purrs column titled “Be Your Cat.” I was happy to see that I’m not the only cat lover whose life has been improved by looking to my cats for inspiration on how to be a better person. In a recent Feline Wisdom column in Edge Magazine, Angie Bailey shared ways in which she has grown to be more like her cats.

Guest post by Angie Bailey

As I age (okay, I’m only 43, but I’m feeling wise and Maya Angelouish), I am less concerned with putting up appearances and fretting over sanctimonious scrutiny others may cast upon me. It’s quite a liberating feeling and one that I hope continues until I’m an old lady wearing pajama bottoms to Walgreen’s and singing “Come on Eileen” from the open windows of my phat Buick LeSabre. I know that saying “life is short” sounds so cliché, but it’s the truth. This physical life, that is.Continue Reading

Creative visualization is one of the core concepts of the human potential movement. The process uses the power of your thoughts to affect the outer world. Visualization has been successfully used in the fields of health, education, business, sports, and creative arts for decades.

The best book about creative visualization is Shakti Gawain’s classic Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Mind to Create What You Want in Your Life. In the book, Gawain outlines four basic steps:

Step 1: Decide on what you wantContinue Reading