Stories

Myths and stories are so much of our culture. At their best they can inspire us to heroic effort and deeds. Others, however, can be so limiting and can keep us small if we cannot discern what lies behind them. In making the decisions in our life, it's so important to be able to feel into those stories which inspire us and move us forward.

Random Thoughts

Can sometimes help us to move into a new direction. Out of the blue an idea can come up and often we'll dismiss it out of hand but sometimes something useful can emerge if we follow the hunch. Perhaps these random thoughts are the way that our Higher Guidance is contacting us and we may need to pay attention!

Luxury

I feel that luxury is not just for the rich, it's for everyone. It's the opportunity for us to take something special and say 'this is for me, I deserve it' and enjoy the pleasure of the experience. For me this takes the shape of visiting my hairdresser who's a good friend and we have a great time laughing and chatting while she does awesome work on my hair. Afterward, I have a renewed sense of gratitude and appreciation which spills over into all areas of my life! So what's the bit of luxury you treat yourself to in your life?

Health

When we're feeling well and buoyant, it's easy to take our health for granted. Often it's only when we get ill that we question our lifestyle choices as they relate to our health. But perhaps we need always to be aware of how our lifestyle impacts us in larger ways than enjoyment, for instance in our spiritual and family life as well as in other relationships. How does our career and work life affect our overall health? If we can become aware of how these aspects of our life interact with our health it's easier to make choices that heal and nourish us.

Thanksgiving

I'm looking at the practice of thanksgiving to be a way of life, a permanent practice for me. It's so easy to be in a place of lack and see all of those things we don't have and wish we did but then for so many of us there's so much to be grateful for!

Journeys

There's a tendency to see a journey as a physical thing, something we may do to go to a holiday destination, for example. But I've noticed that my whole life is a journey on so many levels, a journey through life and its experiences, a spiritual journey and latterly a heart intelligence journey. Viewing my life in this way allows me to see where I've come from but not always where I'm going but then that's where the magic happens!

Sleep

It's part of our lives but we often take it for granted. But how marvellous it is when we can allow our bodies to relax and repair themselves after a busy day and wake up refreshed the next morning. Many people believe that we also use this time to connect with members of our family who have passed over, when we're in a dream state, and when the conscious mind is not so vigilant. People vary in the amount of sleep they need each night an opinions vary among experts as to what the optimum amount of tine is.

Winter

Winter is the season when nature rests after the abundance of autumn and the mad glory of summer. It has an atmosphere and beauty of its own.

Sharing

What a wonderful society it would be if there were no hugely rich people or very poor people in the world and where we all shared what we had freely among ourselves!

Allowing

In our culture we're encouraged to push for what we want whether it's a new job, house or partner. While there are times when action needs to be taken for us to move forward in our lives, there's also a time for allowing what shows up in our lives to be and to point us in the direction that's right for us now. If we continue to push forward according to our conditioned beliefs, it's easy to miss these little pointers that the practice of allowing shows us.

Complexity

There is no doubt that our lives are very complex these days what with the amount of information and life-style choices that we need to handle and the changes in technology that we're faced with every day. It's easy to get overwhelmed with it all! So maybe we need to break things down into smaller, simpler steps. In that case all we need to ask ourselves, in the present moment, is what's my next step and how do I do it. By allowing ourselves to let go of the complexity of it all, we can focus on where Life is leading us.

Motivation

What is it that motivates us in our lives? Is it power, money or friendships or family? Are we able to motivate ourselves through our own inspiration, connecting to the Divine as well as others, or are we driven by our thoughts and perspectives about what others think about us?

If we consider that we incarnated to share our own particular gift,which nobody else can give, then we need to look inside ourselves for our own inspiration and intuition in how to share these gifts, allowing others to support us on the journey but not allowing them to inhibit what we came here to bring the world.

Challenges

How do we deal with the challenges in our lives? Do we respond with optimism and enthusiasm to what is occurring or is there a part of us which tends to feel victimized? If we can realize that these challenges can be seen as opportunities for growth and expansion, perhaps we could embrace them more whole-heartedly for the gifts that they really are.

Forgiveness

As the results and reactions to what happened in Paris on Friday reverberate around the world, it has become more and more clear to me that revenge is not the answer but forgiveness is. Perhaps this could start us all on a journey towards world peace . . .

Loving what Is

This phrase comes from the work of Byron Katie, author of 'The Work' among other books. Basically the idea behind this is to move beyond our stories of what life should be like to the truth of  what is actually occurring in front of us.

For me it is being able to see clearly beyond my judgments and preferences to what is arising for me in the moment and how that can inspire me to move forward in my life. What are the events that occur for me showing me? What part of my inner self is being mirrored, will I acknowledge what I'm being shown. look at it and do the necessary work before moving on? Like much of my life, it is an ongoing process . . .

Gentleness

How beautiful it is to bring a little gentleness into our lives, both for ourselves and for others particularly when we're not feeling at our best  . . .

Needless Tragedy

My heart goes out for the people of Paris in the aftermath of this terrible, needless tragedy. How long do we as a species have to hurt each other? Will we ever learn and evolve past this primitive barbarity?

Eldering

It feel so important in these changing times to involve all sections of the community into conversation and interaction. Often those people who have a lifetime of experience are sidelined into isolated communities that are separated from the rest of society. But often these people have so much to offer. Who can question the wonderful gifts that Barbara Marx Hubbard has brought to our changing times and evolution?

Poignancy

Poignancy is a complex and subtle emotion, for example when something ends there can be a feeling of achievement for what has taken place but also a sadness at having to let go of what is past and move on. It is something I'm feeling deeply in my heart right now as I've finished doing the current package of Heart IQ video training and am looking toward the next part of my life and what will evolve there . . .

Astrology

The study of astrology is often greatly underrated by science but, in fact, a correctly constructed horoscope can be a mine of information to someone who can interpret the information correctly. I've found it very useful in my own life and before starting coaching, used to construct horoscopes for people. It's a fascinating subject and well worth studying.

Agreements

It's amazing how much of our society operates on implicit agreements and understanding. A lot of interactions and behaviours are taken for granted, which is all well and good when a mutual understanding is arrived at but much less so when total confusion emerges. But for a true sense of safety to emerge some agreements need to be reached so that everybody concerned will know what's expected of them and then can concentrate on the main topic of the event.

Dreams

Our dreams can be our inspiration if we allow them to be and not let them be quashed by other people's views and perspectives. Our dreams make us more incredible than we can ever imagine if we only have the courage to follow them and the direction in which the heart points . . . This is not to say that it will always be easy but if we have the dream to inspire us, that helps us overcome any challenges that arise.

Going Within

As the days grow shorter and colder in the northern hemisphere, this is a wonderful opportunity for us to set aside time to go within, to give ourselves time on our own personal journey, however that might look for us. Perhaps this is a time to develop a creative skill that we've ignored for some time or to catch up on our meditation or reading. This can be such a nurturing experience as the year turns, to allow ourselves to develop new abilities and skills during the long winter nights which we can share with others in a way that connects us more deeply.

Resolution

We often feel uncomfortable when we can't find a sense of resolution in our lives and we feel ambiguous about something. There can also be a tendency to worry if a solution to a problem is not found, adding further to the stress of the situation and  inhibiting our creative processes in finding an answer. Yet if we can give ourselves a break, do something that we enjoy and relax, often the resolution to whatever was bothering us can come easily to the fore!

Family

There is probably no word that evokes stronger feelings than the word 'family'. For me it certainly denotes feelings of closeness and challenge as well as a sense of belonging whether this is with blood relations or those people who I feel are part of my family by way of a close heart connection.

And it is also within my family, in the broadest sense of the word, that I feel the strongest connection as we support and encourage each other to step forward in the world . . .

Relationship to self

When we consider our relationships to others, how often do we consider our relationship to our self, either with a small or big 'S'? Do we give as freely to ourselves as we do to others? Do we allow the time and care for ourselves that we do for others? Often we can find that we treat ourselves worse than we would think about treating another person but may not always consider the implications of this. So maybe now is the time to consider our relationship with ourselves?

Interest

How interested and excited are you about what's happening in your life right now? Does it all seem routine and comfortable or are there more challenges coming up for you at the moment. And how do you deal with what actually does arise in your life? Perhaps it's possible to come from that place of engaged interest in all that is going on around us, never taking anything for granted for who knows what could happen in the next moment which we might miss if we weren't paying attention?

Interesting Times

There is absolutely no doubt that we're living in very interesting times and then some! Yet the part of it that I find difficult quite frequently is to be able to live in balance with it all, with the excitement of what is possible, the alternatives that are available and being tried and often lived by others; but also the deep frustration with the old that also exists, the old ways of making money, for example, where the bottom line is more important than people's lives or even the ecology of the planet and the well-being of all the other species which share it with us.

So all the time, I have to go inside, into presence and be able to be with it all and hold it all with love and compassion . . . and then seeking the step forward from that place.

It's a continuing practice, day by day . . .

Breathing

We often take our breathing for granted as part of our lives yet how we breathe has a profound effect on not only our physical but emotional and spiritual well-being. Breathing, if used effectively, can be something which can calm us down in a crisis, for example as well as to be able come into more appreciation and joy for the gifts we have around us. This is why traditions like yoga have taught so much about how best to use the breath to enhance both our health and spiritual practice.

Water

Not only is water essential to life on Earth but I feel that it has an important lesson to teach us in life. It has its course to pursue but if anything like a rock gets in its way it quietly flows round it and continues on its journey down to the sea. Perhaps if we could absorb this lesson more into our lives we could learn to 'flow' around the obstacles in our way without allowing them to make us deviate strongly from what's important to us whilst reacting to these changes in a calm and reflective manner.