Thursday, September 14, 2017

The Power of Blessings






Words have power.  They carry the energy of the emotion and intent with which we express them, whether consciously or unconsciously.  Once spoken, their energy flows out to join the universal web to which we are all connected.  So, every word we speak reaches out and touches hearts, minds, spirit and souls of all that exists.  Language is irrelevant – the vibration of sound is simply a vehicle that carries the emotion and power of intention and weaves it into the fabric of the universe.

The gift of speech is a double-edged sword - words can heal or harm; empower or impede;
bless or curse; bring joy or despair.  And so we must learn to use words in a way that will enhance and empower our own existence as well as that of everyone and everything to which we are connected.

And what better way to work with the energy of words than in the form of blessings?

Blessings are the transfer of loving energy through words. It is not just the words you speak, but the power expressed in them that matters – the power of emotion and the power of intent.

My attention has recently been drawn to the power of blessings to repair the “holes” in the universal energy field created by the “dark energy” that is bringing our earth and its inhabitants to its knees.  Natural and man-made crises are eating away at the very fabric of life as we know it.  I don’t need to point out that the language of the media, of politics and of fear is a good indication of the power of words to “blast holes” in the delicate web of life – not to mention our own negative language in response to this!

So, how do we counteract this “unravelling” effect and “weave the world, and ourselves, to wellness"?  How do we empower the earth, ourselves and those we care for?  What can we give that will enable us to rise above the challenges – personal and global - and create the threads of hope and strength that will repair the web of life and “weave the world to wellness”?

At the energetic and spiritual level, the most effective and successful solutions are usually the simplest – and the simplicity of  “A blessing a day to drive the darkness away” is something that requires only a few words infused with a loving heart and intention.

The power to bless is not confined to religious hierarchy or the sole prerogative of any religious ideology or deity.  We are all capable of giving blessings because we are all capable of expressing a loving intention, through words voiced, or through words thought.  At the moment of releasing a blessing, we are also releasing any negativity we may hold around that person, that situation, that event, that place, and will be raising the energetic vibrations of all those around us and therefore the world.  You see and experience the power of words every day, so don’t underestimate the power of your own words to transform and empower.

There is no particular formula blessings have to take. In fact, inspiration and spontaneity to match the situation are more effective than learned ritual and ceremony. If the mind dominates it drains the power by focusing only on the act.  The heart energy and the intention are key, and we can all learn how to infuse our words with “blessing energy” – which is what we will be doing at our next WOW! group meeting at the end of September.

And how can we use the power of blessings?  Well, we bless to heal and empower, to fully engage with a situation, to solve relationship problems, to help ourselves and others meet challenges, to acknowledge a lesson, to reach out and transform energy, to connect with the web of life, and even to neutralise negativity within and around us instead of bemoaning what we feel we have no control over!

And as the vibration of the blessing moves through our own energy field, then we are also blessed by its power.

So – a blessing a day (at least!) is a simple and effective means of making a difference and “weaving the world to wellness”.

Why not start now?



Tuesday, April 04, 2017

Happiness is choice, not chance!



This month’s blog is inspired by the discussion topic for the next WOW! (Women of the World) meeting on  22 April. 

We are daily bombarded with misery, chaos, disaster, war, fear, tragedy, etc.  – both natural and man-made, and we often ask ourselves if it is right to “allow” ourselves to feel happy in the midst of others’ anguish.  When we are laughing and enjoying life, we may feel a twinge of  “guilt” when faced with the circumstances in which others are “living”  We may ask ourselves if we “deserve” to be happy, or we may comment that someone else “deserves” (or not) to be happy.

When did happiness have to be earned, “deserved”?  When did happiness become conditional on other people being happy too?  When did feeling happy cause harm to anyone else?  Indeed, we may extend that question to when did personally feeling happy, or personally feeling unhappy, make any difference to the lives of the victims of tragedy?

Well, on that last point I’ll say that it did and does make a difference – it makes a difference on the energetic level.  Happiness is a high vibration of energy that attracts more of the same – it feeds the energy that creates the circumstances to support happiness.  Unhappiness works in the same way at a lower level of vibration – it feeds the energy that creates the circumstances to support Unhappiness!

That is why it’s not only your choice to feel happy, it’s your responsibility to cultivate happiness in yourself! How YOU feel is reflected in the energy web that connects us all and shapes our reality!

The big question, however, is “What is Happiness?”  What does happiness mean to you, and what does happiness mean to others?   Each one of us has an individual definition of happiness, and within each one of us is the ability to experience happiness regardless of circumstances.   

So I’ll end with an extract from “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” that perfectly demonstrates the “happiness choice”...

“In the novel ‘One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich’, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn takes the reader on a guided tour through life in a forced-labour prison in Siberia.  The novel tells of Ivan Denisovich Shukhov’s day, which is filled with tales of bare survival and the almost incomprehensible atrocities visited upon the men in the frozen wasteland camp.  Shukhov’s attitude displays creative aliveness even under the worst of conditions.  The book concludes with these lines:

‘Shukhov went to sleep fully content.  He’d had many strokes of luck that day: they hadn’t put him in the cells; they hadn’t sent his squad to the settlement; he’d swiped a bowl of kasha at dinner; the squad leader had fixed the rates well; he’d built a wall and enjoyed doing it; he’d smuggled that bit of hacksaw blade through; he’d earned a favour from Tsezar that evening; he’d bought that tobacco.  And he hadn’t fallen ill.  He’d got a happy day.  There were three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days like that in his stretch.  From the first clang of the rail to the last clang of the rail.  Three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days.  The three extra days were for leap years.’”


Something to think about......

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Creativity - Relinquish and Release



Our WOW! meeting this month is delivered by Sara Allan – an artist whose paintings are created through “channelled” information she receives from her spirit guide, and which convey a message that is only revealed on completion.

I am in an advantageous position ahead of the meeting because I have had the chance to see a video of Sara explaining the process of “relinquishing control”  in order to release the creativity that allows her to express her art.

So, this got me thinking of creativity, of inspiration, of art in its many forms – painting, writing, poetry, story-telling, music, first come to mind, but we should extend the perception of creativity to embrace other activities we tend to “get lost” in because we enjoy them.  In this respect, we can add creative handicrafts, creative fashion, creative games – and so on.  In fact, probably anything can be listed that requires imagination and inspiration!

Many aspiring and even experienced artists and writers often experience mental blocks – when the creative juices fail to flow and the expression of the art fails to manifest – it becomes hard work.  There is a tendency then to put even more mental and physical effort into the creative process in order to push through the barriers and complete the production process. 

From Sara’s experience, my thoughts turned towards the issue of control.   Is there a need to “relinquish control” in order to release creativity – perhaps a different kind of creativity?

In relinquishing control and allowing ourselves to be guided separately from our mind, are we then better able to step into the flow of creativity, or experience a different kind of creativity?  One that originates from outside our limited human knowledge and experience?  Should we just “allow” creativity to happen in whatever way it wants to be expressed? When we are in “creative mode” are we over-concerned with completion – the end product – instead of the process?

It is interesting to see how Sara allows decisions on shape, size, colour, texture, etc. for a painting to be determined for her, rather than by her.  Mind does not interfere, spirit is given a free hand to use the physical act to express what needs to be released.

“Relinquish Control to Release Creativity” was the message I was inspired to release in this brief meandering!  And I was reminded that my book, “Dancing with Dolphins” was pure channeling with no intention at all of producing a book!

So, Sara’s presentation will be an interesting insight into the art of channeled painting and the origins of inspiration.

The WOW! (Women of the World) meeting with Sara Allan is on Saturday 18 March 2017 in Koycegiz:

More information on Sara’s work and her exhibitions is at 

 

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Adventures of Hotfoot

This came to me in a dream, complete, nearly 10 years ago, and I just came across it again.  
This is the introduction to the world of Hotfoot the cat, and I haven't written anything about it since.   Don't know where it came from as I didn't have a cat at that time, but my question is - should I continue the adventures of Hotfoot?


Hotfoot was hot.  It was one of those sticky summer days when sensible cats find a cool spot and just s-p-r-a-w-l.  Hotfoot was sprawling in the shade under his favourite tree.  He stretched out his legs – first front and then back – and thought how the word s-p-r-a-w-l-i-n-g must have been invented for cats.

S-p-r-a-a-a-w-l-i-n-g  with a curly tail at the end, just like his.  A good cat-word.  Hotfoot was surprisingly well-educated for a cat.  He put this down to his human family’s habit of reading aloud to him from their story books, and even sometimes from the newspapers.  Strange how humans liked to have an audience or someone to share jokes and stories with.  And, after all, Hotfoot was a very patient listener.  With one ear tuned to the reading and the other tuned to pick up any odd noises – after all, you never knew when there might be a mouse passing by – he would peer over their shoulders at the pictures and word-shapes as they read, and over time he could recognise words and pictures himself. 

Hotfoot took this in his stride.  Like all cats, he did not see any point in putting a lot of effort into anything, except, of course, when it came to hunting.  And so, picking up the odd human skill here and there just came in the course of his normal routine.

Flicking his tail at a stray fly, Hotfoot licked his left paw and wiped it delicately over his silky black face.  Feeling the softness of his paw with its talons sheathed, reminded him of how he got his name – Hotfoot.  A strange name for a sophisticated cat like him, but one he now tolerated with good humour as it was a constant reminder of what not to do!

So, how did Hotfoot get his name?  Well, it wasn’t so long ago that Hotfoot was a cuddly black kitten with a huge curiosity to explore every aspect of his new home.  Everywhere and everything was uncharted territory, waiting to be explored and conquered.  The kitchen, in particular, was very enticing; full of good food smells, it made his nose tingle and his mouth water.  He could feel that tingle now, his mouth watering just at the thought of food.  But he looked up at the sun through the trees and realised from its position, that it wasn’t mealtime for quite a while.  Hotfoot could tell the time too – he didn’t need a watch; he just listened to his stomach.

The kitchen was a place full of promise when he was small, especially the high places way up above him – oh, so inviting in their mystery.  But he was far too small to jump up so high and could only sit and gaze longingly up, occasionally pulling his shoulders down and wriggling his bottom as if he was about to make that leap into the unknown.  But he always thought better of it – he couldn’t even see where he would land, even if he managed to jump that far.

But one day, his luck was in.  Someone had moved the waste bin while cleaning the floor and it was right next to the cupboards, providing a half way point to the worktop beyond.

“Aah”, he thought, “Now’s my chance”. And, hunching low, and wriggling his bottom, he launched himself into the air and gripped the top of the bin, his claws slipping on the shiny surface.  He almost – almost – slid back down, his hind legs hanging awkwardly over the side, but with an effort driven by his huge curiosity he pulled himself up.

Giving himself a moment to catch his breath and make himself secure, he again positioned himself for another leap – to that elusive worktop.  He didn’t have the best place to jump from, but he did his best to put as much power as possible into the push from his hind legs, wriggling his bottom for almost a minute before he made the leap. 
It was a bit awkward because he had to jump straight up, but he launched himself at the worktop and managed to cling onto the edge with his front paws and claws, scrabbling with his back legs to get a grip.  With a final effort, he clawed his way up and landed untidily and panting on the worktop.

“Wow”, he thought, looking back down over the edge.  “This is really, really, high, but I won’t think how I’m going to get down until I have to.” and he twitched his tail and swivelled his ears and set off on his exploration of the upper kitchen.

There were lots of interesting things to investigate as he looked around. Where to start?  Eventually, he decided to follow his nose and search out the most inviting food smell.  Being a kitten, the chance of food was still first on his list, followed closely by comfort.  Comfort had to come after food because he couldn’t be comfortable with an empty stomach.

He raised his head, sniffed the air this way and that and headed west.  West was where the meatiest smell came from and he licked his lips at the thought of a new taste experience.  His stomach growled in response, telling him to get on with it.  So, ever obedient to the demands of his stomach, he set off across the shiny surface to the source of that delicious aroma.

Nose raised and twitching, step by step he pursued that appetising smell……………

Tiptoeing delicately around the obstacles he encountered – the odd spoon, glass or plate that had nothing interesting to offer – he padded towards his goal, spurred on by the grumblings of his stomach that had no patience at all!

Even as a kitten, Hotfoot was never clumsy. He had the ability to skirt around objects and through small spaces without leaving any trace of his passage – a skill that came in very useful in his life when it came to avoiding trouble.

“Hmm, I’ll explore all this later on, let’s get to what’s important first”, he thought, as images of mouth-watering delights flashed through his mind.  Of course, being a kitten, Hotfoot didn’t yet have an awful lot of experience of different foods, so those images were very limited.  His diet so far depended on what his human family thought was best for him, and while it was all so delicious (apart, that is, from the vegetable flavours which did nothing for him at all), he had yet to experience the delight of a stolen sausage or a morsel of fresh meat, a rasher of crispy bacon or the discarded remains of a lamb chop.  If he had known what he had to look forward to, his eyes would have been spinning in his head and his stomach doing somersaults of impatient joy!

But for now, all he knew was that the tantalising smell that was drawing him on definitely represented food – always number one on his wish list, unless, of course, his little stomach had already been satisfied and had settled down into gentle rumbles instead of angry growls.

Eyes half closed to slits as he followed his nose, Hotfoot neglected to look where he was placing his feet..........