Gratitude Diary and the Sacred Kingfisher

When I was down at Byron Bay in late 2010, I came across this diary (above) and decided that it was something I had to buy, and and get into the habit of filling out on a daily basis.
Well, I started off the year strong, filling out most of January, and some of February, but then I just started forgetting as life started to distract me, once more.
Then yesterday I picked the diary out of the books that I had buried it under, and started flicking through all the months that I had missed, and read all the little gems that were already written in the diary, while looking through all the great photography scattered throughout it.

Then I came across this picture of a Sacred Kingfisher (below), caught in a rather unflattering pose, in the April section of the diary.
The next page/day was April 1st (April Fool's Day) and the theme for April was Projection, hence the bird squirting out a "projection".

So maybe the Sacred Kingfisher is telling me that I've begun the Fool's journey ... that's if I haven't already?-)

What a foolish thing to do;-)

The page the bird was projecting to, had this paragraph about projection;

"Projection occurs when there has first been denial within yourself.

Projection is an act in which you psychically try to throw out of your ownership everything that you have judged as being despicable or unworthy of you, something you don't want.

And so you will project it.
You will throw it up and out, and let it land on whoever happens to be nearby."

"What a load of crap!" ... did I hear someone snicker?-)

June is about "Separation" and the paragraph reads;

Don't surrender your loneliness

So quickly.

Let it cut more deep.

Let it ferment and season you

As few human

Or even divine ingredients can.

Something missing in my heart tonight

Has made my eyes so soft,

My voice so tender,

My need for God

Absolutely clear.

The Subject Tonight is Love, 60 Wild & Sweet Poems of Hafiz

I'm going to try and keep up with my Gratitude Diary from now on, because I think it is a very good practice to focus on the things that I'm grateful for, rather than spend time magnifying the things that I'm not grateful for.

If you want to know more about this particular diary, here's a link where you can find out from the source, but remember that these are for Australia and may not apply to northern hemisphere conditions, so find out first if you are considering a purchase of one;

The Gratitude Diary

Here's a YouTube about how the diaries came about, by the author herself - Morthern Spears:

I'm grateful if you've read this far ... see it's not that hard;-)