Happiness

A walk on a beautiful October afternoon allows me to not only get in touch with nature and the changing season but also brings great joy and happiness!

Relaxation

As we move into the weekend, what a wonderful opportunity for us to take time for ourselves, to relax and indulge in those activities which bring us joy and fulfillment away from the world of work. Perhaps this is also a time to meet up with friends and family, to connect and have fun . . .

Listening

This seems such a basic skill. We're listening to everything that goes on around us most of the time. - but there is also a deeper kind of listening which is possible, particularly when we're with other people and this includes a deeper presence and attention than the everyday type. It's a great gift to be able to be present with another person (or even an experience) and listen closely to every part of what is said as well as the underlying energies that are present. That is how true communication begins . . .

Beginner's Mind

There is a spiritual practice that is known as 'beginner's mind' which basically means approaching every situation from the posture of not knowing, looking at everything with completely new eyes and not being influenced by our past histories and conditioning.

This is an approach I'm beginning to find more and more useful as my everyday plans change and evolve without warning. Taking the approach of 'beginner's mind' helps me to be curious about what's evolving in my life and to flow more easily with it . . .

Heart Connection

There is a part of us, I feel, that has this longing for a truly deep heart connection with other people that we often don't find in the world. This yearning is for recognition, acceptance, respect and love for ourselves and each other. How wonderful it would be if we could bring these qualities into the world and what healing would occur . . .

Technology

Whether we like it or not, technology is part of our lives. Most of us often don't really understand it and thus when something goes wrong it can be very stressful. But when it all works well it allows us to connect and speak to people all over the world clearly in a way which would have been considered magical in years gone by. So this is an aspect of our lives we need to embrace and be gentle with ourselves as we undertake the sometimes steep learning curves!

Imagination

What a divine gift imagination is. Where inspiration nudges, imagination can flesh out some of the details, help us to think creatively around any obstacles to find a solution. Also it's a lot of fun, helping us to enrich our lives with what is possible.

Divine Guidance

How much can we let go of control in our lives? We have been conditioned to believe that we need to control so much of how we live our lives and the decisions we make are often based on purely rational judgments and agendas.

Yet, if we can let go of that control, even for a few minutes, then that allows for the voice of Divine guidance/Soul/Higher Self/Source to speak to us which can guide us in a far more beautiful and integrated manner than just our individual thought-based decision. And sometimes these Soul whisperings will not seem rational but often there is a much higher wisdom at work here that can inspire us to fulfill our higher purpose.

Learning

It is probably true to say that we go on learning throughout our life. Although we spent a concentrated period of our lives when we're young at school to learn the basics and then later maybe at college or university, we still need to learn other skills and abilities after that period. And the interesting thing about learning anything, whether it's a skill or a job, or both, is that we're also learning on other levels as well, not least in how psychologically to deal with the experience of learning. And so many judgments can come up about us in relation to that learning and who we are. And that is why it's always so important to have compassion with ourselves when we learn something new. We all have our own pace of learning, so it's important to be aware of that and also of specific tricks which help us learn  quicker. We live now in a fast-paced world where everything is changing so quickly so any help and compassion that we an give ourselves and each other has to be a blessing!

Practice

Often in life in order to improve our skills we need to practice them. This is true whether it's a sport or a musical instrument we feel we would like to master to some degree. The art, though, comes in doing the practice consistently for any lasting effects to manifest. And that can be the difficult part. 

The same is true in our relationships with others. Often we need to make a practice in our lives of gentle loving kindness towards others, particularly under challenging circumstances. Think how much our world would change if we all undertook this regularly!

Depth

There is a lot of joy that can be found when there's depth in a relationship. When we can truly hear and feel another person and also be felt and heard in our own turn. And it's such an important practice in our lives to be really present with another and to really listen to what they're saying, to feel the depth of their experience and to accept them fully for who they are.

Que Sera Sera

Or . . .whatever will be will be. The truth is that our culture tends to encourage us to over-think aspects of our lives which, in turn, leads us to have expectations of how life will turn up for us, in what manner and often according to a specific agenda. And then when this doesn't happen we can become angry, disappointed and stressed.

But if we and all of life are constantly changing and evolving maybe it's unrealistic to have expectations of what will show up and when and in what form. Sure, it's good to have intentions for what we want from our life in the future but perhaps the skill is to hold these intentions lightly, allowing for the reality of life to reveal itself and knowing that all of it is for our highest good.

To boldly go . . .

I feel that there is a part of us which is in search of adventure and often a much larger part which is hanging back playing safe. It's a scary world out there, after all, and we don't necessarily want to raise our heads above the parapet because we all think that we know what happens when we do that, right?

But as I grow older and evolve, it becomes more and more evident, that playing small and safe is so limiting - after all where's the fun, that part which excites us and inspires us into action? And taking risks can be scary but it can also be fun. So I've decided that I can and will boldly go (OK with a certain trepidation) but go nonetheless into the next adventure. How about you?

Re-visioning

We are not static but are constantly moving forward, not fixed but a process which is continually evolving. But do we allow ourselves to see our futures and possibilities differently as we grow and evolve. Perhaps it;s important every day to re-vision who we are and how we wish to share our gifts.

Humility

True humility is a beautiful quality. It means, for me, not assuming that I'm right in my beliefs and world view and that people who disagree with me aren't. We all have a unique perspective on life and it's important for us to honour that in another person. It also means being open and receptive to others, to be willing to listen to their point of view as well as being able to acknowledge when we have made a mistake and apologise. But this doesn't preclude us honouring our own beliefs and way of life providing that we don't do so at the expense of another person; to treat them as we would like to be treated ourselves.

Uncertainty

The speed of change that's happening all around us can give rise to uncertainty as to what the future will look like. The stable patterns of the past have changed and it feels like everything is moving so fast that we can feel that we can never catch up.

So we need to learn to live with the uncertainty of our lives and be content with not knowing but also trusting our intuition to guide us .  . .

Peace

This is possibly the most difficult state to reach internationally and sometimes even nationally. People tend to feel that they and their beliefs are right and everyone else who doesn't believe as they do are wrong. Or conflict is fueled by power or money agendas.

But peace starts within us. If we can come into peace and acceptance of all we truly are then we can really make a difference in the world . . .

Maturity

When we are young we often have so much energy and enthusiasm to try new things and to explore our world. Often this comes at the price of not listening or taking advice because we feel that we know better. I'm certainly aware that I was very arrogant when I was younger and always thought that I knew best!

Now, from a more mature point of view, I can savour the richness of life more deeply, the personal connections and the new experiences. In place of the urgency of exploration there has come the sense of openness and fullness, of appreciation; and I hope also, a certain amount of wisdom to reflect on life, which has become possibly a slower journey but one with so many delicious subtleties of experience!

Reaching Out

There are often times in our lives when we're encountering challenges and the strong emotions that come up due to these. It's tempting during these times to want to isolate ourselves and retreat into our own little world, away from everyone. But, in fact, sometimes the best solution is to reach out for support from friends and family or from people who can understand what you're going through and who're often only too happy to assist you through difficult, dark times.

Stretching

In order for us to develop and grow as divine humans we need to do a little stretching from those places where we feel safe and where our routine lies. Often this can feel quite scary so being able to elicit support from good friends can be vitally important for us to take the risk and to feel safe. And then we find that the exercise of taking that risk and stretching for something that is important for us in our life can become deeply fulfilling, and if practiced frequently, can become life-changing!

Adaptabiity

The reason that we've probably survived as a species is our ability to adapt to new situations. We're doing it all the times as new technology changes and we're challenged to keep up with it. Yet often this adaptability comes with a certain amount of stress, particularly as the speed of change increases. That is why it is so important for us to have a quiet time for ourselves in order to relax and take in the beauty and goodness in our lives, as well as the support of good friends and family.

Trusting

In a world where we're encouraged to plan ahead and have total control over our lives, the idea of trusting can feel quite foreign! Yet we're divine beings in a human body and often don't have a full understanding of what our next step is or our overall  reason for being in this place at this time. We don't have access to all of the information and if we live in our minds all the time, we can miss the rich beauty and potential of what is possible which can become more available if we come from a place of trusting!

Hope

What a powerful and motivating emotion hope is. It's the hope of a better future that inspires people to leave their homes and counties for other lands, often travelling through untold hardships to get there. It has happened all through history and many counties have been founded from immigrants who have arrived this way. And it is still happening now . . .

Excitement

When was the last time you felt excited about something in your life? Do you find this to be a regular event or is there something every day of your life about which you feel excited? Wouldn't it be wonderful if by exploring all parts of ourselves and our purpose on Earth that we could really feel into that deep excitement and joy?

The Energy of Money

We all have a relationship around money. Sometimes this is positive and sometimes not, depending on our upbringing and the conditioning we've received in our culture But at the end of the day, money is just another form of energy and it is the intention around how we use it that's the important point to consider.

Interdependence

In our lives we go through three main types of relationships with others. When we're children we're dependent on our parents and family for our needs to be met and to help us to define who we are. As we develop into adolescence, we move into much more of a state of independence from our family, (and particularly our parents!) as we explore our own personality, desires and potential. Finally, if we allow ourselves to develop a mature, healthy emotional relationship with others we come into a state of interdependence, where we understand our interdependence with all other life on this planet and the ability to acknowledge that we all depend on each other for our survival. That, as we connect more with each other, we not only can ask for our needs to be met in a healthy way, we can also willingly and courageously support others in our lives who, in their turn, need help.

Choices

There are a lot of areas in our lives where we may have choices to make and decisions to take following on from that. This is not a problem when the choices and decisions are easy but if it is a matter where there is ambivalence because of feared consequences or a big change in our lives then that is another matter.

This is when we need to take the time to feel deep within ourselves, check what's moving in each area of our body/mind/Soul to come to an integrated and embodied awareness of what the next step will be.

Nourishment

We often think of nourishment mainly in the form of food but there are many other ways we can nourish our minds, bodies and spirits. Taking time for ourselves and doing something we enjoy can be extremely nourishing as well as comforting and potentially creative.Then we can return to our usual pursuits renewed and inspired!

Irrepressible Nature

What I love about nature is that even in the most unexpected and often devastated places, it will show up with a plant against all the odds. I like to feel that there is a part in all of us which is like that - despite the odds, the challenges or devastation that we can experience in our lives, there's a part of us which can show up with grace and joy to inspire others.

Responsibility

Perhaps one of the most difficult things we have to do as we mature and become more aware spiritually is to take responsibility for our actions and their consequences, particularly when these affect those around us, which happens very frequently, To be able to see where we made a mistake or misjudgment in the heat of the moment and own up to that honestly and openly is a very great virtue and often saves ill feeling in the long run!

Blessings

Often when we're overwhelmed with the details of our life, it's easier to concentrate on what is going wrong rather than what is going right. Our brain is naturally wired towards a negative bias - it's what has helped us to survive.

But often what is the most beautiful practice is to become aware of the many blessings we have in our lives and celebrate those instead! This will allow us to move into a space of appreciation and thankfulness and bring a brighter perspective to our day!