From our inbox to you from: Dailyom on “Rooting Down”

January 27, 2016
Rooting Down
Digging Deep for Healing

by Madisyn Taylor

When you establish a den of peace within your core, you empower yourself to act rather than react in distressing situations.

For many people, apprehension manifests itself in the physical self as a potent feeling of heaviness or nausea situated in the depths of the lower abdomen. And it is there, at the seat of the second or sacral chakra, that we must lovingly and deliberately confront the anxiety. By rooting down into the deepest physical reaches of ourselves, we can cleanse ourselves of unease and replenish the space it has left behind with tranquil awareness. Much of what we encounter in our daily lives has the potential to awaken feelings of nervousness within us or make us question whether we are truly in control of our lives. When you establish a den of peace within your core, you empower yourself to act rather than react in distressing situations. Your balanced second chakra helps you respond productively to the turmoil around you while your inwardly directed attention steadies you.

There are many ways to restore your strength and clear negative energy from your core. To ground yourself and regain your emotional equilibrium, concentrate on the second chakra, picturing it as a funnel of vivid orange light. Reach down toward that light with your awareness and channel your breath into the space it occupies. As you balance the chakra, you will become more adaptive and thus better able to stand strong when faced with rapidly changing conditions. You can channel healing energy into your core by visualizing the area below your belly button as an open space into which you channel white, loving light. Like light and air, sound can be a wonderful tool that helps you find your center. Your voice, when drawn from your core in the form of a deep roar or loud shout, can be the vehicle upon which your anxiety is conveyed into the ether. Take a low stance, much like a football player, root your feet into the earth, and then roar like a lion. Really feel it in your bell! y. It may sound silly, but chances are you will feel much less anxious and much more grounded into your body.

A situation that seems hopeless when viewed from a perspective colored by fear may become easily manageable when approached with a serene heart and mind. As you root down into your core, you’ll discover that the trepidation and helplessness you feel within you is not invincible. Rather, it will respond readily to your efforts to eradicate it, leaving you feeling peaceful and capable of calmly handling any challenging circumstances that arise.

From our inbox to you from: DailyOm on “Understanding all Sides”

January 24, 2016
Understanding All Sides
Owning Your Tendencies

by Madisyn Taylor

Looking at only one side of our life can make us blind to the many other ways of looking at our situation.

Whenever we examine our lives, we examine them from a particular side or angle. Most of us tend to favor one side over the others. For example, we may tend to look at things from an emotional perspective rather than a financial perspective, or we may prefer to think in terms of details rather than the big picture, or vice versa. To a certain degree, this is not a problem, and these tendencies add color to our individual personalities. However, they can also make us one-sided, blind to the many other ways of looking at our situation. Even if we have decided that we are most happy when we focus on one particular side of things, it is always worth exploring the other sides. When we do, we become well rounded, more understanding of other viewpoints, and even more solid in our own.

Perhaps you are a person who tends to see your life in terms of your spiritual well-being. As a result, other concerns such as financial comfort or social standing may not be prominent in your mind as you make decisions. However, taking just a moment to consider those angles will help you in several ways. One, it will enable you to see more clearly what your priorities are and how they influence your life situation. Two, it will enhance your sense of confidence, because you will see your situation from all sides, even as you choose one. And three, it will help you communicate with others about who you are and what you are doing, because you will come from a place of understanding that your own biases and tendencies are unique as are theirs.

Most of us instinctively come at things from a particular angle, and in many cases this is the right way for us. Still, understanding the other angles only strengthens us. When we look at our lives from all sides, we shed light on the big picture, giving ourselves access to many points of view and highlighting more clearly the one we have chosen to take.

From our inbox to you: What’s on at the Whitby Library for February 2016

OverDrive Enhancements

It’s hard to believe, but it has been almost five years since we launched our OverDrive eBook collection. eBooks have exploded in that short time, and we’re gratified to see how popular the collection is. Since the launch, our collection has grown by leaps and bounds (with new titles added all of the time) and we’ve expanded the service to include eAudiobooks.

OverDrive has changed over the years as well, and recently made some important modifications to our eBook site. There’s a new look, new features and new sign-in options. A bit more about this below:

New Look
The new design includes includes easy-to-understand item availability, as well as quick links that let you borrow titles or place holds right away.

New Features
New sorting and filtering options make it easier to find the title you’re looking for and make new discoveries. You can now filter your search results by availability, format, date added, subject, and more. You can also sort search results by relevance and popularity. Tabs at the top of the page let you to see what’s new and trending in the library’s eBook collection.

New Sign-In Options
You can still sign in directly with your library card number and PIN, but now you have the option to link your library card with an OverDrive account or your Facebook account. For more details, see OverDrive’s web page on which sign-in option is best for you.

This isn’t all. There’s a full list of enhancements on the OverDrive Help page. Overdrive is also planning to introduce new features that will work with readers who use OverDrive and Facebook accounts in the near future. These include personalized recommendations while browsing the website, new ways to manage your checkouts, holds, and wish list items, and more. Stay tuned!

Person using photocopier.

Printer and Photocopier Changes Coming to All Branches 

We’re pleased to announce new enhancements to our printer and photocopier system at all library branches. The improved system will let you send print jobs from anywhere wirelessly: from your own laptop within the library, and even from home or work. In addition to remote printing, we’re also adding more colour printing capability, with colour-enabled printers/copiers on the first floor of the Central Library and at the Brooklin Branch.

We’re also making changes to the printing and photocopying payment system at all library locations. Photocopies and printouts will be paid for using your library card and the coin-operated payment system will no longer be available. You will be able to load funds onto your library card at any service desk, and you can then scan your card at the machine to pay for printouts and photocopies. No card? No problem. Visitors who don’t have a library card can ask staff for assistance.

The new card payment system and remote printing service will be introduced at the Central Library in early February, followed by the Brooklin Branch and the Rossland Branch.

Did You Know?

You Can Borrow Admission Passes

Boy swimming underwater.We have all kinds of materials to borrow at all of our branches, including books, DVDs, CDs, video games, language learning kits, but did you know we also have admission passes you can borrow? Check out a Skate and Swim Pass and explore Whitby’s recreation facilities. More of a history buff? We also have passes to the Parkwood National Historic Site (also known as the Parkwood Estate) which was the home of Robert Samuel McLaughlin, whose car company evolved into General Motors of Canada. The estate is now a museum, and has been the set of a number of feature films and TV shows, including X-Men, Murdoch Mysteries, Bomb Girls and Amelia.

Each pass entitles you to free admission for up to five people (maximum two adults with the Parkwood Museum Pass), and you can use the passes an unlimited number of times during the checkout period. You can even place a hold on the passes and pick them up at your WPL branch of choice.

See our web page for more about the Skate and Swim pass, or place a hold on one here. Click here to place a hold on the Parkwood Museum Pass.

Upcoming Programs

Photo of Marilyn Sinclair.

African History: Global Identity at the Central Library 
Monday, Februrary 1
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Meeting Room 1B

Marilyn Sinclair, Founder of Cross Cultural Tapestry will lead a discussion on the diversity, connections and contributions of people of African descent from Africa, the Diaspora, Canada and locally.

Registration is required. Register for African History: Global Identity online or by contacting any branch.

Teen Advisory Group.

Teen Advisory Group at the Central Library 
Thursday, February 11
Meeting Room 1
4:00 to 5:00 pm

Looking for community service hours? Want to help plan programs for teens at the library? Know of a good book that the library should buy? If you’re in grades 7 to 12 you’re eligible to join our Teen Advisory Group (TAG) where you get to boss us around. We meet on the second Thursday of each month from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. February’s meeting will take place on February 11 in Meeting Room 1.

There’s no need to register to attend, just stop by on February 11 to have your say. For more information contact the Children’s and Adult Fiction Department at 905 668-6531 Ext. 2010 or email askcaf@whitbylibrary.on.ca.

Registration is not required. Just drop in!

A Walk in the Woods movie poster.

Big Screen Film Club at the Brooklin Branch 
Thursday, February 18
6:30 to 8:30 pm

Read a movie, watch a book. Join us for the Big Screen Film Club to enjoy movies that are based on books. The Club will meet on the third Thursday of the every month, and adults 18 and over are invited to register and join us for a free film screening and discussion.
February’s film is A Walk in the Woods, based on the novel of the same name by author Bill Bryson.

After spending two decades in England, Bill Bryson returns to the U.S. where he decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends. (Description from IMDb.com)

This film is rated 14A according to the Ontario Film Review Board. Closed captioning will be available for this film.

Registration is required. Register for the Big Screen Film Club online or by contacting any branch.

Stuffed bear reading.

Books Before Bed at the Brooklin Branch 
Tuesday, February 2, 9, 16, 23
7:00 to 7:30 pm

Come in your pajamas, bring your favorite stuffed animal and snuggle up with your parents by the fireplace as you enjoy stories, songs and rhymes before bed. All ages are welcome!

Registration is not required. Just drop in!

Heart shape with fruits and vegetables inside.

Heart Healthy Habits at the Rossland Branch 
Thursday, February 11
2:30 to 3:30 pm

Celebrate Heart Month with us. A representative from the Heart and Stroke Foundation will discuss tips and strategies to keep your most important muscle healthy and happy all year.

Registration is required. Register for Heart Healthy Habits onlineor by contacting any branch.

Kendama.

Valentine Kendama at the Rossland Branch
Saturday, February 13
10:30 to 11:30 am

The Kendama is a traditional Japanese ball and cup toy. Make your sweetheart a special edible Kendama and a cool bling card. For children in grades 1 and up.

Book Marks 

An American in Canada 
Book cover of Grass Beyond the Mountains.
Are you a William Murdoch fan? Who doesn’t like that handsome, intelligent (if slightly nerdy) police detective who solves crimes in 1900s Toronto? Murdoch Mysteries, based on the books by Maureen Jennings, is not the only CBC series to feature Yannick Bisson. He also stars in the TV Series called Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy, based on the book,Grass Beyond the Mountain by Richmond P. Hobson Jr. His character is an American who comes to the Canadian West in the 1930s to build a successful 4 million acre cattle ranch while facing hardship and packs of wandering wolves. The story continues in book two, Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy and the third book, Rancher Takes a Wife, says it all. An exciting and adventurous non-fiction trilogy set in our own backyard.  
Books, Research and More

Multilingual Matters

Book cover of War_s Unwomanly Face.

Belarusian Writer Wins 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature

Svetlana Aleksievich, a Belarusian journalist and writer who was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature, primarily documented Chernobyl, the Afghanistan War, and Soviet women in World War II inher works.

While researching for her books, Aleksievich interviewed hundreds of people. She focused on their daily lives and the disappearance of their way of life, rather than the political climate of the surrounding war or disaster. The library has a selection of her works, including three Russian novellas, T͡Sinkovye malʹchiki, Zacharovannye smertʹi͡u andChernobylʹskai͡a molitva, in one volume.

Virtual Branch: WPL on the Web

Person fixing a car.

Auto Repair Reference Centre  

As one of the most important automotive centres in Canada, Durham Region has always had a great car culture. For many, that means fixing and maintaining your own wheels. But as cars get more sophisticated, fixing them isn’t as easy as it used to be. If you want to do some work under the hood, give our new Auto Repair Reference Centre(ARRC) database a try.

AARC has repair and maintenance information, including drawings, service bulletins/recalls, step-by-step photographs and wiring diagrams for thousands of domestic and imported vehicles from 1954 to present. All parts of the vehicle are covered, including transmissions, brakes, ignition, electrical, exhaust, heating/cooling and more. All of the content has been created by ASE (Auto Service Excellence) certified technicians. ARRC replaces our Chilton’s Auto Repair database.

And while we’re on the topic of online databases, you may have noticed some changes to the resources that we offer. Thanks to a province-wide funding program, we were able to provide access to several online databases. This program concluded at the end of 2015 and some of these resources will no longer be available through the library.

However, while our online offerings have changed, we still offer an excellent collection of databases on a wide variety of subjects. Whether you’re writing a high school or university paper, searching for businesses or researching your family history, our website is your gateway to academic journals,historical newspapers, magazine articles and many other helpful resources.

Astrology and how it affects our daily life: Sun Moves into Aquarius January 20 2016

girl pouring water from bucket Stock Vector - 7176642
http://www.123rf.com: Copyright : Igor Zakowski

Aquarius:

  • Fixed:
  • Masculine:
  • Air:
  • Ruling Planet Uranus (Change/Chaos)
  • The Water Bearer 
Aquarius - Space Scene with Astrological Sign and copy space Stock Photo - 8833276
http://www.123rf.com: Andrew Brown

Oh where would the world be without the wonderful Aquarian? With their inventive minds and capacity for personal freedom and change, they assist with the evolution of the human species. 

You guys and gals catch on very quickly to the things you need to know, and while you can be a bit unconventional, unpredictable and some may say unreliable, it’s a different story when you get passionate about something or decide to sink your teeth into a project, watch out peeps, cos you won’t be able to change his/her mind and she/he will plow on ahead with focus and determination until the task is done or something else tickles the fancy…. ☺

The sun moves into the sign of Aquarius on

January 20 2016 10:27 am (ET) 7:27 am (PT)

birthday cake and sweet candle light in the dark Stock Photo - 9227378
http://www.123rf.com: Copyright : Anchalee Khruawong

Have a wonderful birthday and an awesome year ahead:

Glenn, Gary, Garry, John Jr., Samantha and Zsu’s and Donna who is a cusp baby..…. ♥

Got a question? Send us an email to:

astrostar61@hotmail.com

The Moon and Astrology: How it affects our daily life…Transiting Moon in Gemini January 2016

The Moon and Astrology

HOW IT AFFECTS OUR DAILY LIVES… 

In astrology, the moon is connected to our emotions and reactions… how we are feeling on a given day may well be influenced by the sign that is visiting the moon… Each sign stays with the moon for up to 2.5 days…. :) 

The Moon Void-of-Course: 

There are times throughout the month when the moon isn’t fully immersed in any sign… this is when we say the moon is Void of Course… and when this occurs, we may feel “foggy” and “unfocused” … We may not be sure how we are truly feeling about a situation or a person…. Therefore it is not recommended that we make long-term commitments or important decision’s while the moon is Void of Course…. However there are 4 signs in the zodiac which may prove positive during the Void-of-Course moon… 

Good for Void-Of-Course Moon:

These v/c signs may prove to be quite productive times.

  • Cancer
  • Taurus
  • Sagittarius
  • Pisces…

Opportunity Periods  (thanks to astrologer Jim Shawvan):

There are other periods throughout the month that are known as opportunity periods, when it can prove to be a positive time for most people, however if you have challenging aspects happening within your own chart you may not be able to make use of opportunity periods. 

Thanks to Jim Shawvan present day astrologer, William Lilly 17th century astrologer and Llewellyn’s Daily Planetary Guide for opportunity periods.

Present Moon Sign/Phase/House:

Gemini is an air Sign Twins are the embodiment of tenderness, joy and friendship Immerse yourself in the world of beauty and paradise Stock Photo - 20395597
http://www.123rf.com: Copyright : helein
  • Date: January 19 to 21 2016
  • Moon Sign: Gemini: 4:13 am (ET) 1:13 am (PT)
  • Moon Phase: 2nd
  • Void-of-Course: January 21 @ 3:01 am (ET) 12:01 am:(PTto 8:28 am (ET) 5:28 am (PT)
  • House(s) 8th house of, sex, shared money & mergers, matters psychotherapy, surgery, and how we deal with loss/death.
  • Opportunity Period: January 20 @8:08 pm (ET) 5:08 pm (PT) to January 21 @3:01 am (ET) 12:01 am  (PT)..  For those who find working in the later hours this could prove to be a productive time period. ;)

What does it all mean?

  • Gemini is an air sign and needs lots of stimuli. She is ruled by Mercury. Transiting Mercury is presently retrograde, in the sign of Capricorn; in the 4th house of domestic duties and family.
  • The house connected to Gemini is the 3rd house of: day-to-day travel/affairs and siblings… we could find ourselves busy with multiple things going on, even if they are just in our own minds… ;) Dealings with family, especially siblings, are likely. Memories are shared and possible solutions to old problems can be found. However, wait until after the Mercury Retrograde before putting any new ideas or plans into motion. 
  • We may find we are trying to do multiple things at once, which may not go exactly as we may have planned. If you do find you have tons of ideas spinning around in your head, take pen to paper and jot them down… it will ease the “inside chatter” and you may find some of them useful later on. 
  • Could be lots of chit chatting going on, and some of us may have to make a concerted effort to listen instead of chat.
  • Caution is advised when doing up letters, emails and relaying messages, as much as we may think we have it right, it’s better to check one more time
  • In the 8th house:
    • Some folk may need some time to recuperate after surgery… hopefully the healing will be swift and complete. Dealings regarding our material security may be in focus.
    • Could be a good time to check over insurance policies and finances.
    • Those affected by this placing may be feeling more emotionally sensitive during this time. Patience may be required from those with Earth influences.
  • It’s a good time to get those lists and notes made up… we can feel good about putting pen to paper now.
  • Boredom may be at our door step and we may feel more restless than usual. 
  • This moon sign will have more of an effect on those who have the following in their charts.
    • Moon in Gemini,
        • Sun in Gemini
        • Sun in Virgo
        • Moon in Sagittarius
        • Moon in the 8th house
        • Any aspects to the Moon, Mercury or Jupiter

Got a Question? … :)

Send us an email to

astrostar61@hotmail.com :) 

 

copyright: Greta McKenzie Astrology: 1/19/2016