New Post on The Light Sanctuary

New video on my sister-site, The Light Sanctuary:

Meditation: Sending Light into the World

 

 

The Celestine Prophecy

This spiritual journey doesn’t half present some challenges. One minute I feel I’m doing really well, learning quickly, and then I feel I’ve taken a giant leap backwards. Most of my challenges seem to be relationship-based and I’m starting to realise are about power and control.

Luckily beautiful signposts and resources are sent our way to remind us just why we have turned towards spirituality and where we are heading. Today I watched The Celestine Prophecy- a film adaptation of the book by James Redfield. It charts the journey of a teacher through Peru on a mission to find the 9 Insights- prophecies to guide us towards the next stage in human evolution. It really was a wonderful story, full of truth and I’m feeling much lighter now! Highly recommended!!

The Celestine Prophecy Movie Website

The Celestine Insights

 

From The Darkness To The Light

The Power of Forgiveness

 

But if you feel you cannot yet forgive, affirm “I am willing to forgive” over and over. You will get there!

Little Me and The Angel

Yesterday I felt depressed. It had been building for a few days.

Before bed I decided to face up to the message in the sadness.

I asked my inner child, Little Me, what was wrong.

She replied that I hadn’t been listening to her needs- for fun, laughter, creativity, drawing, colours, play, adventure, and exploration.

I told her I was so sorry.

She also told me that she felt very sad about things that had happened (when I was younger) and that I was bullying, ignoring, criticizing, judging and belittling her-everytime I spoke to myself harshly. She said she felt scared and that she could never do anything right.

So I held her in my arms and told her how sorry I was and that I would be so much more loving and nurturing of her.

My guardian angel came very close then and sent delicate shivers up and down my back- she was helping me to release toxins and low energies that remained from painful experiences in my childhood. I felt so loved.

My guardian angel guided me to set up protection around myself and my inner child, and to draw the following pictures to cement the protection in my energetic field.

Before she left, she blessed me and lit up my inner child in golden light. I was guided to place Little Me in my heart and surround her with love.

This morning I woke up feeling so much more energized. Little Me was bouncing to get going.

I am so thankful to my guardian angel and to myself for taking the time to ask Little Me what was wrong and to actually listen.

Little Me with my childhood dog- Sam in the centre of the bubbles. My guardian angel behind me. The bubbles are my aura, which is gold and purple- protective colours. Protective angels surround.

Close-up of Little Me and my Guardian Angel.

 

 

 

Take Back Your Power.

It has recently been brought to my attention that I am giving away my power.

I didn’t really know what that meant until I spent some quality time with my journal this morning. Here’s what I got:

How do we give away our power?

1. By putting other people’s needs before our own.
2. By not honouring our true feelings.
3. By not believing in ourselves, our strengths, gifts and talents.
4. By procrastinating/distracting ourselves from what it is we really want to do, eg.

Too much TV/internet/chores/time with others who drain us, when our true self wants to finish a creative project, practice the piano, read, journal, bake cakes, etc. We shy away from what we really want to do because sometimes it feels uncomfortable, putting us in touch with our real feelings which may be raw and painful.

Putting our needs first may be very uncomfortable for us, bringing up feelings of guilt or shame. Perhaps we were taught as a child that “good’ people put others first. Perhaps we were ridiculed or belittled for the things we loved to do as children- or thought of as odd. We might have been told that these things weren’t important. By believing these things, we gave away our power.

We were taught wrongly!

Following our heart’s passions and desires is extremely important!

The universe wants us to be happy!

To work through any guilt or shame associated with putting our heart’s passions first in our lives, focus on the LOVE and PASSION for what it is you want to spend time doing. Open up your heart and follow where it leads you.

Forgive yourself for any blame you have placed on others and for allowing them to take away your power. Then forgive them. They only taught us what they were taught by their parents/teachers/peers.

TAKE BACK YOUR POWER! STAND IN YOUR LIGHT AND SHINE!

Wow- what synchronicity! Added to Sonia Choquette’s Facebook page one day after writing this post:

When tuning out intuition and ignoring what we feel inside, we fall out of integrity with our true Self and surrender our power over to others who have no way of bringing us peace and satisfaction. Today, tune in. Listen to your intuition. Acknowledge what is is trying to tell you. Follow its guidance back to center, starting with this next breath.
All my love.

Sonia Choquette is an inspiring spiritual/popular psychology writer. My current favourite book:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: samuiblue via freedigitalphotos.net.

Turn the Day Around: Shifting the Gloom

I’ve just had one of those mornings where I’m feeling down in the dumps and resigned to having a bad day. I started the day getting up late and eating sugar- not my usual start!! It made a big difference to how I felt though: low and negative and I’d genuinely given up on improving things for the day- I’d written the day off! I just wanted to sleep through it and start again tomorrow!

I managed to snap out of it a little- enough to do a bit of meditation and just accept the place where I was at. Sometimes it helps to just go:

“I feel like *%$@ and that’s OK.”

“Just because I feel low doesn’t mean I’ve failed.”

“It hasn’t been the best of starts, but I’ve been reminded what does and doesn’t make me feel good.”

“I can still enjoy the afternoon.”

Following this I made a mini-plan of actions to help myself feel better. This included a dog walk in the fresh air and countryside, drinking loads of water, and eating some raw carrot- a very low GI food to counter-balance the sugar I ate earlier. Balancing blood sugar seemed like a sensible thing to do as I feel horrid when my blood sugar plummets after a sugar binge. I also added cleaning the bathroom to the list: not my favourite job, but I really like the bathroom to be clean!

The walk was great- we ended up being over an hour. The weather was perfect- sunny but cool- and we didn’t see another soul! The squirrels and jays entertained us with their antics around the woods and farmland. I came home feeling refreshed and revitalised.

The Importance of Shifting Energy

The walk worked for me as it shifted the negative energy which was clinging to me and allowed new positive energy in!

Low, gloomy energy, once accumulated, can stick to us like glue in the energetic field around us- our aura. Once stuck it keeps us feeling down, which in turn attracts more negative energy. Like attracts like.

It is much easier for positive energy to accumulate around us once the negative energy has been shifted- it clears space.

The things which help us to feel better are usually things that shift the negative energy. One of the best ways to shift energy is exercise, or any type of movement eg. cleaning or gardening. Once we’ve shifted the negative energy we are then in a position to attract new positive energy to us. This usually occurs through enjoyment of an activity. We feel good. Our thoughts become more positive. Like attracts like, so more positive energy is attracted to us.

Other ways to shift negative energy include:

– chatting, laughing with friends.

– breathing exercises: imagine breathing in beautiful, clean, loving, positive energy and breathing out old, stale, stagnant negativity. Breathing deeply into your lungs and imagining the new energies shifting the old really helps this exercise work.

– expressing yourself through creative activity.

– spending time in nature: the energy of trees, plants, the Earth etc, neutralises any negative energy. Sitting by rivers or the sea can be especially healing as you imagine the negativity being washed away. Even visualising this is helpful.

– music- screaming and shouting out any anger to angry music can help. As can putting on upbeat tracks that make you want to dance. Dancing’s great too!

– massage/spa.

– doing something you love.

Seeing these activities as shifting negative energies really helps motivate me to take action if I’m feeling low. I know that if I don’t act towards shifting the energy, I’ll very likely feel rubbish the rest of the day- maybe even getting worse by ruminating.

When we find ourselves ruminating negatively- it’s time to take ACTION through distrACTION!!  Don’t let those thoughts get their icy grip on your heart. Say NO!! You’re not sucking the life out of me!!! I’m going to create some positive energy instead to push you away!

Positive Intentions

Keep your mind focused on:

– high energy levels and vitality.

– fun and laughter.

– passions eg, people/pets you love, hobbies etc. Things you love.

PLAY!! One of my favourite games to play is to imagine I’ve been given £100,000. I then go about “spending” it online! It’s fun planning a holiday or some courses I want to take, and imagining what it would be like. Childish but fun! And a good way to use the Law of Attraction!

Give yourself a great day- you deserve it!

Photo Credits:

Sun by digitalart; Rainy Boy by Simon Howden; Waterfall by Evegeni Dinev all via freedigitalphotos.net

You Are Amazing!

What a wonderful message to wake up to on Facebook this morning- thought I would share. Remember everyone, we’re all amazing! But of course if we’re hypomanic we already know that ;).

Affirmations

Affirmations are a starting place for turning around negative thoughts about ourselves. Negative thinking can range from telling ourselves we’re not very good at something to completely believing we’re utter failures in life, completely unlovable and worthless.

Affirmations are positive statements we say to ourselves, for example- I love and take care of myself. 

Once we tell ourselves something over and over again, we start to believe it. Once we believe it, we look for proof in our lives to support that belief. Therefore if we believe we are inherently bad inside and unlovable- we look for everyday proof that this is so: such as somebody putting us down or a disappointing result in a task.

But if we start to tell ourselves that we are loveable and have lots of good qualities, we look out for these things in our lives. We notice and accept compliments, we notice we have a great sense of humour or are a really supportive friend, we revel in a success.

I’m An OK Person

When I’ve been very depressed in the past, I’ve found the idea of calling myself amazing completely ludicrous and totally unbelievable. With severe depression it is near on impossible to think anything good about yourself. So I found the best solution was to tell myself that I’m OK. I’m an OK person.

If amazing seems too far-fetched to believe at the moment, start with “I’m OK”.

Say this with some positivity behind it, maybe a little smile in a mirror.

Sometimes starting at this less enthusiastic place can be more realistic and achievable than saying to ourselves that we’re amazing. Telling ourselves we’re amazing when we’re severely depressed tends to result in a sarcastic tone to the comment- not very helpful at all!

“OK” also allowed a little sense of humour to gently creep back into me- seeing myself in a bit more of a light-hearted manner. It takes time, but it’s worth persevering with.

I’m A Good Person

After I’d accepted that I was an OK person- again this took a good few days- I could then move onto “I’m a good person”.

With repetition of this affirmation I began to unconsciously pick out things I genuinely liked about myself: I’m good at music, I’m not bad at cooking, I keep the house in reasonable shape, I’m a good listener and loyal friend, etc.

It’s amazing how this kind of thinking attracts even more positive thoughts until you can truly believe:

I’m AMAZING!!

How incredible our skills and strengths can seem to other people. How totally unreachable sometimes! But still utterly inspiring!

So to actually start seeing parts of ourselves in this light is AMAZING!

Once we can see our uniqueness in an inspiring light, we can then truly appreciate it and spend more time developing the things we love. We honour our need to spend an hour writing or singing or running or crafting. So what if the washing-up is growing fur!

We can love ourselves for who we truly are.

Accepting Our Weaknesses Graciously

Equally we can also accept our weaknesses with HUMility and HUMour. We are HUMan!! And that’s absolutely OK!

Identifying Hypomanic Thinking

With Bipolar there is always the pitfall of hypomanic thinking which generally falls along the lines of thinking we’re amazing!

So how do we distinguish hypomanic-thinking from truly feeling inspired by our own uniqueness?

With hypomania everything is in the extreme and leads very quickly to unrealistic, racing thoughts that escalate into wilder and wilder ideas.

I’m so incredibly talented at writing, I’m going to start writing a book. I can sell as many as Harry Potter. I can have the films rights bought. I can go to the Oscars when the film is nominated in 15 categories! 

Excitement builds up, thoughts race faster etc.

Hypomanic thinking doesn’t allow any thought of weakness. We feel euphoric and unstoppable- we have superpowers!! We don’t tolerate any thought of weakness in ourselves.

There is also a quality of tension, rushing, faster, faster, do more, need more stimulation etc. Can’t stop and relax. The mind becomes out of control.

The thoughts of amazing-ness are born of the ego. True passion, born of love, is not felt, only excited, chaotic, frantic energy. Our driving motivation is money, power, fame, lust- ego desires. We see amazing-ness only in ourselves.

HYPOMANIA- ACTION COMES FROM THE MIND. OUT OF CONTROL. WE CANNOT STOP. NO HUMILITY. BOASTING. OVER-CONFIDENCE.

Identifying True Passion and Inspiration

True inspired thinking comes from a more peaceful, calm place. It is still exciting to feel passion for our lives again, but thoughts do not race, we do not feel pressured to go, go, go! We don’t need more and more stimulation or addictive substances or behaviours. We can stop and relax and find our centre. We feel grounded.

We are still  aware of our weaknesses and areas we find challenging and may need help with. We certainly don’t see ourselves as invincible.

TRUE INSPIRATION & PASSION- ACTION COMES FROM THE HEART. WE ARE IN CONTROL. WE CAN STOP. WE ARE HUMBLE. QUIET CONFIDENCE.

We recognize that the amazing-ness is not born of ourselves, but of God/Spirit/Universal Loving Energy. We have rediscovered this beautiful energy in ourselves. We are motivated by serving this energy and love, not by desires of the ego. We are humbled by this energy and love that we are privileged to find within us. We are able to see this love and amazing-ness in others.

A Starting Place

I think I’m feeling good about myself, but I’m not at amazing yet!

Believing we are amazing is not big-headed. It comes from of place of true self-love and acceptance of weaknesses and challenges.

If you’re in a depressed place at the moment start with “I’m OK”.

FOR INSPIRATION:

Read About The Queen of Affirmations and Positive Self Talk: Louise Hay

Read her beautiful book : You Can Heal Your Life

Where’s Your Happy Place?

When I was a kid I had a place where I could escape all my childhood cares and be completely at peace with myself. It was along a disused railway track and up a slope. There was a stile where I would sit and look out over the beautiful fields. Skylarks and Yellowhammers were always twittering and made heavenly companions. If I was angry to begin with, I’d inevitably feel more calm after 10 minutes or so just sitting doing nothing except soaking up nature.

In a way I didn’t even feel alone. I definitely felt some kind of universal presence, call it God or Spirit. Nature always had a subtle power to befriend me and allow me to offload my troubles.

This is gonna sound so stupid but even watching cows or sheep grazing helps me refocus and calm my emotions. I love the way all they care about is grass- chew, chew, chew. All they seem to think about is where the next best bit of grass is. I love it! Their lives are so simple! Kind of brings any of my worldly problems back into perspective! Sometimes I think animals are way smarter than humans.

I also have an imaginary happy place that I “visit” when meditating, under a big oak tree at the top of a gently sloping wildflower meadow. It overlooks hills and trees. Here I imagine sitting and reading. All the dogs I’ve grown up with are with me, lying around in the sun, as well as the horses I used to ride. No people though!!

Dogs are brilliant too. My dog Cassie is never sad. She might get a bit worked up when she knows her dinner or walk is due, but afterwards she never fails to jump up on our laps for a cuddle. She’s so happy! She doesn’t worry about impressing anyone or what she needs to get done or relationships. Once the belly is full she’s the most contented animal ever! A lesson in gratitude from a dog!

Project Whitespace: This Way To Inspiration & Motivation!

Bethany Jo Lee from Project Whitespace decided to accept her Inspiration Award nomination in a completely different way and created a beautiful image and quote to give to me as a thank you for the nomination. So I thought I would share the image here for you to admire! The photograph was taken by Bethany. I was so happy to receive such a thoughtful gift. Thank you Bethany!

Bethany is one of the most inspiring people ever! She is completely multi-talented, imaginative, creative, and fearless at getting involved in anything she sets her mind to. Her blog is absolutely packed with inspirational stories and motivating posts, which is what originally attracted me to her site, as I know I can often be lacking in motivation and focus!

Currently Bethany is training for a marathon!! However she still finds time to complete art projects and write great posts! She is a great example of one of those who contributes a great deal to creating a supportive blogging community. Blogging can be better than therapy!

I love the quote on the photo because my meeting Bethany has opened up a world of positivity for me. In this world I am a winner, which is the complete opposite of my normal world! That to me is a gift in itself.

So if you are in need of some positivity and motivation, go check out Project Whitespace. In fact, please go along anyway!