22/6/2016 1 Comment Breaking patternsThe movie Groundhog Day is a great metaphor for how the Universe teaches us. Phil (Bill Murray), a weatherman, is sick of the world and stuck in a town he doesn’t appreciate. He becomes trapped, waking to the same song on the radio each day, and having all the same situations play out - until he gets the lessons. Life is much the same. Before we take our skin suit we work out what it is that we want to learn during this earth walk and, while we’re here, the Universe orchestrates situations to help us learn. Often it feels frustrating. We forget our grand plan or our higher purpose and get bogged down in the physical manifestation of things until we finally hear ourselves think “why does this keep happening to me?” If you’ve ever posed yourself that question, read on. If not, congratulations and keep learning. The seven Huna principles is just one approach to breaking patterns and, as with most things, it’s pretty effective. Hold a pattern you would like to change in your awareness, then gently reflect on it using each of the seven principles. The world is what you think it is If you tell yourself you’re stuck, then you are. Try instead to think of your life as a story, where each situation or character in has been created to help you learn something. Reflection: What is this pattern trying to teach you? There are no limits The world is full of unimaginable abundance. Your capacity to learn and grow is limitless. Each time you approach the same situation you do it from a higher perspective, with more knowledge from your previous attempts. Reflection: What knowledge or skills have you gained so far to help break this pattern? Energy flows where attention goes If you keep focussing on what doesn’t work, on the patterns that keep repeating rather than on how you want your life to unfold, you are effectively feeding them. Reflection: How much time do you spend trying to inhabit how you would like to feel? Now is the moment of power We all have a finite number of days left on this earth walk. Tomorrow you will have one less. Don’t waste them thinking about what’s wrong or wishing for things to be different. Today you must act, even if it is just to write down your plan. Reflection: What action can you take today to make this shift? How will you incorporate taking one step in that direction every day? Love means to be happy with The only person you need to be happy with is you. Taking action to break patterns that don’t serve you or taking a risk to chase your dream takes courage but, regardless of the outcome, you can be happy with yourself for doing your best. Reflection: If you have identified a pattern be happy with yourself for becoming aware (don’t beat yourself up for repeating it). All power comes from within We are all different (thank goodness). What others may think is important is only what they see from their perspective, it has no relevance to you. You have your own higher purpose in this life and it is up to you to go within and tap into what it is that truly makes you happy. Reflection: What would do if no-one else mattered? That is the clue to finding what you are here for. Effectiveness is the measure of truth The only failure is not to try. The worst that can happen is that something won’t work as you planned. When that happens, it simply means that wasn’t the most effective method but you have learned something else to help you reach your dream another way. Reflection: What can you do differently to change the pattern? These simple reflections, pondered in relation to what you want to change, can help to identify what it is that holds a pattern in place. Awareness is the key to breaking the pattern, so reflect and become the observer. See what works and what if triggering repeat situations and eventually, like Phil the weatherman, you can make different choices that break the pattern and start your day with a new song.
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27/5/2016 2 Comments The benefits of switching offI recently spent three days working in another city. My accommodation was a neat (think tidy, not good) hotel room. You know the type, a large double bed made of two singles pushed together, a bathroom, kettle, minibar (junk food & tiny booze bottles ), and a massive TV positioned on the dresser opposite the foot of the bed.
Not being a fan of TV I was inclined to ignore it. But I was also tired, it was too early for dinner, and so I did the unthinkable and turned it on. It occurred to me that I’d just put it on “for company” but when the rubbish company I’d invited filled the room I felt compelled to sit and watch rather than asking them to leave. I pressed the guide button to scan the programs for the evening. More junk was scheduled on every channel for as long as I could remain conscious, hold the remote, or just be bothered. What to do? Choose an old rerun and let my brain turn to jelly? Fortunately self-preservation kicked in and I turned it off. However, the next thing I reached for was a more recent disruptive technology, my phone (having deliberately left my laptop at home). Surely one game of Sudoku wouldn’t damage my IQ. I resisted the urge to recheck email or facebook, but as I tapped the ‘Resume Game’ button the expression “killing time” crept over me. I was horrified. You should be too. Life is short. Each of us has a finite number of days left, tomorrow it will be one less. How could we ever think there’s enough time to kill? Yet, we can’t help our devotion to these ubiquitous screens. We’re hardwired to gaze at shiny movements, like fireplaces or reflections on water. In the grand design this is probably to help us, to allow our minds to rest and induce a meditative silent state where we can tune into our inner voice, our higher self, our spirit. But gazing at manufactured shiny movements, that’s another story. They do exactly the opposite, pumping us full of things to think about, using artificial light that disrupts sleep patterns, electromagnetic radiation that wakes the brain and increases tumour risk, and who knows what else? Being my first night of three, I had to find a healthy option. Time to roll out the champion of mental and physical health - sleep! Sleep is essential because it’s incredibly good for us. It helps us reinforce neural pathways allowing us to consolidate what we’ve learnt during the day, it’s also when our brain cleans up toxins produced by neurons throughout the day. Skipping sleep can impair memory, attention, and our problem solving ability. It’s toxic to brain cell connections and can disrupt our insulin regulation causing weight gain. And what is the number one disruptor of sleep these days? Screen use. Light from TV isn’t great, but it’s usually at a distance. Light from computer and mobile phone screens has photons that stop us producing melatonin, making it more difficult to get to sleep as well as reducing the quality and duration. This effect is not just while you’re using it, but up to an hour afterwards (or more depending on the study). There is also evidence that radiation from sleeping with a phone next to you can increase electrical activity in the brain during sleep,. Knowing all of this, I opted to read a few chapters of a book, a story, then off I went (no wonder kids love them). In the morning I woke naturally (no alarm), with a clear head and enough time and energy to go for a run along the river, watch the sun coming up over the city, breathe some fresh air, explore the area I was staying in, observe the local birdlife, and gratefully acknowledge the experience. So this year, as our unseasonably warm autumn comes to its inevitable close, and winter continues to shorten and cool our days, I’m unplugging and hitting the sack. If you need me, I’ll be up early, out in nature somewhere, living (rather than killing) time. 21/4/2016 1 Comment How to get what you wantDo you know what you want? I mean really know what you want? A lot of people don’t.
I don’t mean the next shiny thing, or bit of stuff, or gadget. I mean what sort of life do you want? What are the experiences you’d like to have? After last month’s drum circle spirit journey, a friend came back having been told quite clearly to “ask for what you want”. This doesn’t just relate to interacting with people, it’s perfect guidance on how to manifest the life you want. Before we bought our townhouse we lived twelve years in a one bedroom flat with no balcony. The flat was awesome, it had a huge three-panelled north-facing window but I always described it as having no balcony. Not resentfully, more wistfully, thinking wouldn't it be lovely to sit outside with a cup of tea. But since our next place was to be a house, I didn’t expect we would ever end up with one. As the years passed, saving for and planning our move, I had other ‘wouldn't it be lovely’ thoughts: to live in a newish house not an old one like we could afford; to live somewhere less busy than the suburbs we were searching. I daydreamed of a cat that would visit, although I didn’t want to own one; and of living near the water - assuming it would be a bay or river. I even reminisced about the kooky slanted ceilings I grew up with, but when it came to our house buying shopping list none of these items were on it. We made our list around more practical things like number of bedrooms, distance to the city, transport, parking, etc. We searched pretty hard core for about a year, finding nothing we could afford that wasn’t a complete dump. Finally we gave ourselves a weekend off that included a visit to check out a friend’s new digs in Maroubra - a suburb that couldn’t have been further from our radar. As we stood on her balcony we started a 'wouldn't it be lovely...' conversation about how relaxed the neighbourhood felt and how easily people could visit with all the free street parking. In that moment our focus shifted from what we wanted to how we wanted to feel and within a week we’d found our home. The Universe is all about creation and it’s waiting ready to help us. When we only wish for stuff or things, with no consideration of the long term benefit, it makes for a pretty lame order. But when we stop to consider what a good life would look like, and imagine ourselves healthy and happy, the Universe has a lot more to work with - it’s the ultimate creator you capable of delivering things you’ve never even thought of, so don’t stifle it by being too specific. How then should you go about manifesting the life you want? Imagination, focus, and intent are the three ingredients that form the basis of ceremony, prayer, art, and any form of manifesting or creation. Reflect, search, journey, meditate, journal, track your dreams, or whatever you need to do to get a clear idea of what you want. Not the stuff you want, not the size of the paycheck or the suburb, more the work that will satisfy you or the lifestyle. Daydream yourself into how you want to feel, how you want your days and life to unfold, what feelings you want to have, how you want your relationships to be. Imagine what your perfect day looks like and how you want to feel when you wake up and go to bed. Consider what would be different if you could achieve this life, and what behaviours you’d be prepared to change to maintain your health and happiness. This ‘wouldn’t it be lovely…’ thinking radiating from your heart (rather than a plea for specific results) is all you need do to let the universe know what you really want. Once you’ve imagined what you want, the spirits (Universe, elves, angels, whatever you prefer to imagine) take your order and get to work on making it happen. It’s then that you need your focus and intent to give them the opportunity to deliver. For example, they can’t make you win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket. Likewise, they’re not able to give you perfect health if you spend your life on the couch. But if you take a few steps in the direction of your dream, they will pull out all stops to get you there. Another important thing to consider is maintaining your focus. Spirits hear your thoughts - what you think about you bring about. They don’t understand worry, so if you start thinking about what could go wrong they’ll stop what they’re doing and begin making that instead. And if you keep asking for the same thing over and over, they will keep stopping and starting taking much longer to create whatever it is. My point is, the Universe has fabulous hearing and if we use our imagination, focus and intent we can tap into it and manifest whatever we want. Even if we don’t realise we want it. I had no idea I’d asked for so many things in my new home, but as soon as the opportunity arose I got them all - crazy angled ceilings, walking distance from the beach, and the loveliest neighbouring cat who sits in my lap while I sip tea on my balcony. When you stop thinking about the what and get some clarity about the how and why of what you want, you will be amazed at what the universe is capable of delivering. You might even start to expect the unexpected. :) 22/3/2016 0 Comments Connecting with nature26/2/2016 0 Comments How to be your own bestieBestie
noun. Your favourite person in the world. The one who always looks out for you. Are you a good best friend? What about to yourself? So often we dish out wonderful advice to our friends, good advice, carefully considered based on all the perspectives we can see in their situation, all with the intent of making them the happiest. It’s not stuff we just think up spontaneously, we mull the situation over then spend time analysing it, genuinely trying to determine what would really be best for them and their personal growth. But what happens when it comes to making our own decisions? Where is the same level of applied consideration and focus on what’s best for us in the long run, what will truly make us happy? All of a sudden that bestie has left the building. When we look at our own situations and try to plan, if we bother to plan, how objective are we? Do we take the time to analyse what we know makes us really happy? Do we imagine life at eighty or ninety, reflecting back on the life choices that made us happiest, that brought us the most joy and then act on that? Or do we fall habitually into ‘should’ mode, choosing what’s safe, easy, and won’t make too many ripples? Isn’t it time we chose to nurture and care for ourselves with as much thought and consideration as we give others? In every decision you make for yourself, you need to be your own bestie. Whether it’s what to eat for breakfast, buying new clothes, whether to leave a dead end job, take that trip of a lifetime, or date that guy you’re not quite sure about, with each decision you need to step back and look at the big picture - from the outside in. Start by imagining it’s not about you, just someone you know a lot about, then try to look at the situation symbolically. Lift yourself out of today and view it as a page or chapter in your life story. Ask what part it plays in your overall journey, and what path holds the most potential for your spiritual growth. Take time out to meditate, connect with your higher self and ask for guidance or a sign, and let nature and the universe confirm your decision. Or run it through your body to see how it feels. Check in with your solar plexus to gauge your gut instinct, then sit with the decision in your heart until you’re certain it’s a decision of based on self love. This will ensure every decision, or at least the biggies, are best for your long term health and growth. Then when you’re ninety, happily sitting back with your own bestie, you’ll know that even if some things didn’t work out as planned you always acted in your best interest. You made decisions to nurture and care for yourself along the way, choosing that which would bring you most joy. Give your story a happy ending by living life, trusting yourself and being your own bestie. When I was little I wanted to invent a new colour. Then as I looked around I realised that nature had already invented every colour I could think of, so I would have to discover one instead.
Despite my unfulfilled discovery and passion for opalescence (from petrol spills to pigeon frills), I slotted into some fairly predictable colour favourites. In my teens I painted all my bedroom furniture bright pink (heart chakra), which in hindsight looked pretty revolting. Then, as I ventured from the nest, my favourite switched to green (an alternate heart colour), beautiful deep emerald green. Then purple (crown chakra), which I'd probably still list as my favourite. Yet whatever my colour of the day, I still wore mostly black and furnished my home in neutrals. They always seemed the easiest options. Wearing black (typical Scorpio) as a base mean throwing together an outfit in no time. Adding a scarf or chunky beads to give the impression that I’d actually made an effort. Using neutral colours living in small spaces, prevented them from looking overcrowded. So when we finally moved into an adult sized townhouse we maintained our neutral furnishing palate out of habit as much as convenience. However last year something shifted and we both felt the need to add colour. Slowly, one piece in one room at a time, we began the change. A few cushions here, a lampshade there, new doona covers, then the final banishing of our brown and beige rugs all gave the place a fresh look and feel. As the transition continued, I noticed that colour also began to increase in other areas of life. Our meals became more colourful, think rich pumpkin soups, fresh grated beetroot, bright green pesto, purple berry infused porridge, and the most amazing looking salads. My wardrobe also began to show more splashes than bases, with patterned scarves brightening existing outfits and connecting other items with each other. As we acclimatised to the extra colour we became more playful, painting cupboard boarders, window frames, and stencilling the walls. Another unexpected outcome was a burst in my energy. I've heard that age is just a fading of your colours, and I seemed to be proving this in reverse. The more colour I added the more energy I seemed to have. As the cycle continued I also noticed I was feeling more creative - a bad purchase for a bedspread became an amazing looking tablecloth, hidden items of mismatched glassware were now features in different spaces. Colour is part of life, it’s natural in creation. Colours resonate with our chakras and can show where we need support or reinforcement. They can impact our energy levels, our creativity, and other intangible parts of our lives. As if to reinforce this remembered knowledge (the way the Universe loves to), we finished the year by exchanging Christmas gifts with some friends who weren’t in on our colour transformation. What do you think they gave us? A colouring book each and a set of coloured pencils. I doubt I’ll ever lose my love of the calmness of a neutral room but I now understand that colour doesn't have to feel aggressive or intense. A splash is enough to brighten a room, a plate, an outfit, or your day. So think about it. Where in your life is there room for more colour? I’d love to hear your thoughts. 19/1/2016 1 Comment Love is...
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