Auspiciousness

This month we have been focusing on auspicious things, things that are conducive to success. The breath, self care, and meditation are all very auspicious things. I am very much a word nerd. I am particularly interested in the etymology of words which is the study of the original use of words and the historical development of their meaning.

The word auspicious comes from the Latin auspicium, which refers to divination by looking at the flight of birds. In ancient Rome the flight of birds was considered a sign of the gods. In those times, the omens seen could be good or bad. When the word became part of the English language it was used just to refer to good omens.

Taking the current meaning as 'seeing what is conducive to success', auspiciousness can become a daily practice. We are all looking for success, for happiness in everything we do. Practicing auspiciousness could mean to be very clear on what kind of success we are looking to achieve through: the work we do, the relationships we maintain, the yoga practice that we have, the daily activities that we all perform, etc.

The next time you see a bird flying, you can ask yourself what message do you see. In the meantime you can just look at the picture above, pick a bird and tell me what do you see?

Blessings

Jorge Nihal