Category Archives: Energy

Orbs

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Orbs  or flashes of light in photos can be interpreted in many ways. I find it fascinating and it intrigues me when I discover that I’ve taken a photo that appears to have an orb in a photo.  I often get a glimpse of something just out of range of normal vision and when I turn my head there is nothing there.

Some believe that this can indicate a spiritual presence, a manifestation of energies and symbolic. The presence of orbs can be symbolic of Spirit Guides or Angels or even deceased family members or loved ones. Another explanation is that they are flashes of condensed energy appearing in locations where there is heightened spiritual energy.

Scientific Explanations

While many people attribute metaphysical meanings to orbs, it’s also important to consider scientific explanations:

  • Dust Particles: Orbs can often be caused by dust particles, moisture, or insects reflecting the camera’s flash.
  • Lens Flares: Reflections or lens flares can create orb-like effects in photographs.

Either way, the interpretation is deeply personal.

Colours and Meanings:

Different colours of orbs are often associated with different metaphysical meanings. For example:

  • White or Clear Orbs: Often seen as positive, representing purity, truth, and spirituality.
  • Blue Orbs: Associated with calmness, peace, and spiritual guidance.
  • Green Orbs: Linked to healing, love, and connection with nature.
  • Red Orbs: Might indicate strong emotions, such as anger, passion, or warnings.

I’ve seen orbs when using old fashioned film and SLR cameras, but more frequently with digital cameras and phone cameras.  They seem to pop up in the most unusual places.

This photo was taken at the June Full Moon (just a day after the Winter Solstice) and I was taken by the shimmering on the leaves as well.

I had spent the day in working on creating a spiritual workshop and meditating on the various activities. It was quite late at night and the temperature was dropping rapidly towards -1’C.

No doubt the halo around the moon was due to the atmospheric conditions and a forecast of the coming frost or it could simply mean that my iPhone camera doesn’t take good moonlight photos!

This next photo was taken in Hobart about 14 years ago after having spent some time with my Reiki Teacher. We had spent the day having lunch and deep discussions about Reiki energy. I felt that the energy around the sailing ship had something to do with this orb. On the other side of the harbour was the Greenpeace ship, the Sea Shepherd and no orbs.  Such a contrast in styles of both ships and their energies.

My interpretation is that orbs are spiritual manifestations as they only seem to appear on my camera after I have meditated or am grounded and aware of my surroundings.

 

 

 

Reiki and New Moon Manifesting

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Reiki at Balance4LifeReiki and the practice of manifesting with the New Moon involve combining the energy and your intentions for the coming month to bring about positive changes in your life.

While they are separate practices, some people choose to combine them to enhance their manifestation efforts. Here’s an overview of each practice and how they can be used together:

Reiki:

Reiki is a form of energy healing that originated in Japan. It involves the practitioner channeling universal life force energy to promote healing, balance, and relaxation in the recipient. In a Reiki treatment, I use my hands to gently touch or hover over specific areas of the body, chakras, or energy centers, allowing energy to flow and facilitate healing. ssSessions often will reduce stress, promote emotional well-being, and enhance physical healing. It can also be applied to manifesting goals and intentions.

New Moon Manifesting:

The New Moon is a significant phase in the lunar cycle and is often associated with new beginnings, setting intentions, and manifesting goals. Many people believe that the energy of the New Moon can amplify their intentions and desires. As a result this makes it an optimal time to set new goals and manifest positive changes in various aspects of life.

To practice New Moon manifesting, take some time to reflect on your desires, set clear and specific intentions, and visualize your goals as already achieved. It can be helpful to use tools like vision boards, journalling, or meditation to aid your New Moon manifesting session.

Combining the two:

Combining New Moon manifesting with Reiki can be a powerful way to amplify your intentions and manifest your desires. During a New Moon, the energy is especially conducive to setting intentions, therefore by incorporating Reiki into your manifesting you will amplify the effect.

In addition the Reiki energy will help you clear blockages, release any negative energy or limiting beliefs that may be hindering your manifestations, and infuse your intentions with positive, healing energy. Most importantly, if you have been attuned to the Reiki energy, you can use the symbols and techniques to further enhance your manifestation meditation or visualization. This will allow the energy to flow to your intentions more effectively.

Remember that the effectiveness of these practices may vary from person to person, and it’s essential to approach them with an open heart and a clear intention. Whether you choose to combine New Moon manifesting with Reiki or practice them separately, they can both be valuable tools for personal growth, healing, and manifestation.

Where is Spirit leading you?

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You know you are on the right path, when you feel that tingle of anticipation. A combination of expectancy and apprehension….The path ahead may look a little less travelled and there is that brief moment of discomfort as you step out of the familiar (or same old, same old …… others may be blunter and call it a rut) and into the new and exciting future.

Imagine….. that this path leads you to discover some amazing insights and to connect with people just like you. Imagine… as you step into this energy that you know that Spirit has led you home.

Whatever stage you are on your journey, there are guides there supporting you. Some are visible, others may be glimpsed briefly and there may be some that have chosen not to reveal themselves to you at this stage. All you need to do is accept the signs and the help that is offered.

Intention

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A great part of my work centres around intention. In Reiki workshops we always set an intention. Likewise in a coaching session, the intention is set to discuss a positive outcome for you. Your intention can be conscious or unconscious and a skeptic would suggest that the use of a pendulum to gauge answers has an unconscious bias.

intention and setting goalsDo you ever get an idea that needs to be recorded, but either your phone is flat or there isn’t a notepad nearby? I usually have a pen in my car or handbag and the backs of envelopes come in handy and the intention is to use or put these ideas into practice as soon as possible.  During a recent tidy up, I discovered a bundle of envelopes that were covered in notes and various ideas from several years ago. I made the decision to transcribe each one to store on the cloud. Before I knew it, I had a coaching program written and some articles for here which I would love to share with you over the next few weeks.

In setting an intention, conscious or otherwise, it is useful to use a great coaching model called Be, Do, Have.

Who are you going to be in this process? If you are going to be a leader or a teacher, you are going to have to honour yourself.  What insights are you likely to get as you lead or teach and where is the gift?

A well used saying in my Reiki training is “Energy flows, where focus goes.” For any therapist or coach, if you are focusing on a positive intention or outcome then it is most likely that you will get results.

An interesting exercise is to pick a couple of areas in your life that you want to work over the next few months and be your own hero in relation to these. As you focus on these particular areas, you engage an area within your brain called the RAS (Reticular Activating System) which will help you to filter out unnecessary stuff.

The more you become your own hero in your story, you will find that you start finding unexpected gifts, such as a calling or strength that you had put aside. If you have doubts about this, start asking yourself some harder questions – “What will happen if I decide to hang on to these doubts or unhelpful/outdated beliefs?”

A helpful strategy is to evaluate what this means to you. Are you taking responsibility for your thinking, because in a spiritual Universe, we are all perfect and doing the best we can with the resources available to us. All of this is well and good, but if you don’t take action then life will stay the same……..

If you are ready to make changes, then contact me….

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Mastery

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I do so love teaching Reiki. It doesn’t matter what level it is, each training has its own special insights, both for the student and for me. My current student is learning how to be a teacher and I feel I have learnt as much from him on this journey as I may  have shared with him. Like me, he never set out to be a teacher and was a skeptic at first about distance healing, until he got feedback from clients he was working with.

Teaching is not for everyone and often it takes another person to see the talents and inner qualities that we don’t acknowledge in ourselves. For me is was waiting until the children were older and for this student, it was a chance comment by his long time friends that brought him to realize that he has so much more to offer by becoming a Reiki Teacher.

Revisiting each Reiki level brings new insights and each training brings about wonderful changes for all involved. It is as if a little bit more information is being revealed each time. Reiki helps both teacher and students to slow down and relax. The preparation for lessons and sessions is a special time. Meditation and setting the intent to work with Masters present and passed and Guides is a time to create peace both within the room, for students and myself.

Reiki energy is always gentle and will go to where it is most needed. I find that once you get yourself or ego “out of the way”, the energy flows with ease. A participant in a Reiki share commented that as she had only done Level 1 and the other participants were all Master Level or Teachers, that she was worried that her energy wasn’t as much. It took some convincing to let her know that the Reiki energy is the same for all of us regardless of what level we have studied to and that it is not our personal energy, but universal energy that we facilitate for the client. A healing session with someone who has taken Level 1 can be profound as the energy doesn’t discriminate.

Taking a step back…

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The most recent visit to the retreat was after the olive trees were planted and they looked as if they had settled in quite well. The grass in the labyrinth had grown by about a foot and it seemed an ideal time to use the newly acquired whipper snipper to good use.  With a brisk north wind blowing and forgetting that I have a rye grass allergy, I had a shot at redefining the paths. After a short time, I had to retire to re-hydrate and to take some antihistamines!

The antihistamines went to work, but I couldn’t shake the tiredness and a cough had developed. Returning to the city, I grabbed some take away for dinner, but didn’t have much of an appetite and went to bed quite early by my standards. Monday morning I tried to get a doctor’s appointment, but no luck. Probably something to do with the political announcement that doctors fees were going up because of the government restructure of Medicare.  I stayed in bed…. by Wednesday, I knew it was time to see a doctor. Again, no appointments available at my usual GP, so off to the bulk bill clinic down the road.

Pneumonia was diagnosed….. just what I didn’t need with a busy Reiki teaching month and hypnotherapy clients coming up.  After a bout last year, which took ages to recover my energy from, I decided then and there that I had to take a deeper look into why I was manifesting this. Being in an altered state from the illness has given a different perspective and rather than wanting to be in a state of helplessness, I decided that I would use this enforced “time out” as a positive exercise.

Louise Hay in Heal Your Body sees pneumonia as being “tired of life. Emotional wounds that are not allowed to heal” – her aphorism for this is ” I freely take in Divine ideas that are filled with the breath and intelligence of Life. This is a new moment”.

Debbie Shapiro in Your Body Speaks Your Mind goes a little further, suggesting that we need to look at what might be so deeply inflaming our feelings about breathing…. or if it is something within that we are unable to express. “….there are hot emotions her, as well as pain and exhaustion, depleting our energy. The act of breathing is the act of living. Are you feeling exhausted or overwhelmed by the burden of having to keep going? Is there a longing to stop and take some time out?  ………The relationship of breath to spirit is often seen in this illness, as mystical or spiritual experiences are not uncommon in those suffering from pneumonia…….”

Caroline Myss in Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can, states ” When an illness is part of your spiritual journey, no medical intervention can heal you until your spirit has begun to make the changes that the illness was designed to inspire…..the most effective healing option. when you are facing an illness as a spiritual challenge, is to rely on your spiritual practice to bring you the insights you need. ………Seeing illness as a spiritual challenge does not reduce our chances of healing, but we need to understand that spirituality is first and foremost the path of gaining inner rather than physical strength. Physical healing can certainly follow, but whether it occurs or not is part of one’s spiritual destiny………..”

She continues….”healing requires a willingness to make changes in both your physical and spiritual ways of life. Healthy changes of lifestyle and spiritual practice are parallel roads leading to the same goal, and each road needs to be driven along every day.”

So in the company of good teachers, I’m taking a little time out to make some changes with both the physical and spiritual ways of life.

Labyrinth constructions

Abundance, creativity, dreaming, Energy, labyrinth, Retreat

Facebook kindly reminded me this morning that it has been 2 years since I constructed the 7 ring Cretan Labyrinth at the retrLabyrintheat.

I haven’t spent much time in it lately due to a couple of falls that left me sore and sorry for myself, but over the last couple of visits I got the shovel out to refurbish it.  Not being mathematically minded, I wasn’t  even going to start calculating how many shovel widths the outer ring is and the energy used to move that amount of dirt…. however curiosity got the better of me and I used a circumference calculator to work out that the circumference of the outer ring is a little over 47.1 metres as the diameter at its widest part is some 15metres.  The gypsum applied a while back has definitely improved the soil quality, especially from the digging point of view! Some still remains in the central cross and that got turned over last weekend.

Sage ready to plantThe wildlife likes to play in it, so to keep the definition, rocks from the paddock are gradually being put in the channels created by the digging, which also means less rocks out in the paddock for the mower to run over. Hopefully the rocks will also provide some initial protection for future plantings. The sage program was ambitious and contrary to gardening advice sites that suggest that it is unpalatable to rabbits or hares, the amount of droppings left next to the munched and dug up plants suggest otherwise. It appears that kangaroos enjoy sage as well as garlic.

Solstice morningThe next project is to find a plant that will tolerate drought and extremes of temperatures. Winter mornings can be a little crispy underfoot and a recent week of summer temperatures of over 38C saw even the succulent plant known as pigface, burnt to a crisp. I’m wondering if Rosemary is suitable and will strike a few cuttings to plant before undertaking a big project again.

At the centre is a small rose bush, which is getting drip fed water from the damaged water tank that used to be on the fire trailer.  That was put in  some months back and is only just surviving. The wildlife had dug up the oak tree in the centre, grown from a Rushworth acorn and I was about to discard it, but at the last minute planted it at the entrance. I was delighted to discover it had resprouted and it now has a sturdy tree guard around it.  Last weekend I picked up some acorns in Heathcote and planted one in the outer ring at the northern most point. It will be lovely to see if it sprouts and if so will have a tree guard put up next visit. Apparently Oak trees are a little fussy about having their roots disturbed by repotting.

Shepherd's CrookIn the meantime, I realised that one of the areas near the firepit might be suitable for a small labyrinth and marked out an area with a tomato stake – raking the leaves to make a path once it was clear that it would fit. This has been a handy little labyrinth to walk… the design is called the Shepherd’s Crook and it provides a choice of directions to get the centre once you have entered the first two rings. This is ideal if you choose right or left to be a yes or no answer to a question that you take with you to the centre. I had to detour slightly on one path as I wanted to keep the pigface in that area and there a couple of bull mallee trees to squeeze past on the outer ring.

Pop up labyrinthThe next labyrinth project was a “Pop Up” labyrinth that I drew freehand and in chalk for the City of Monash in Hamilton Walk during the last school holidays. A simple left handed, 3 ring Cretan labyrinth.  My acupuncturist and myotherapist were delighted with my activities and I shall remember to do some proper stretching exercises before I attempt another one of these! It was a beautiful autumn morning and from all accounts there were many children walking it later in the day.  It was completely washed away by a thunderstorm the following day having served its purpose. If asked to do another, I would orientate it a little differently as I wasn’t familiar with the foot traffic in the area.

light in the labyrinthAnd so we return to the 7 ring labyrinth. Slow and steady, plenty of water and several hours later, the outline was redefined.  A mixture of rocks and earth, a rose at the centre – with some jonquil bulbs that are already poking their green leaves above the ground. I’m just hoping that they won’t make the wildlife ill – as I believe they are toxic to cats, dogs and horses.  Another couple of days are needed to add more rocks for more definition.

 

Communication

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Every so often you get to have an unforgettable experience.  Just about every visit to the retreat provides a different kind of experience and there is a wonderful opportunity to learn from each of them.

With the warmer weather, one keeps an eye out for reptiles but I haven’t seen any for some time. Over the nearly two years, I have seen just two, a black snake and a brown snake – neither close to the cottage.  With that in mind, I was sitting near the fire pit reading and enjoying the spring sunshine  when a movement caught my eye.

Immediately, the primal instincts kicked in and yes, I froze.  Having had a meter long snake slither under my chair at Mataranka, I was hoping that this was not going to be a replay.

I looked up. Two beady eyes were fixed on me. A long forked tongue darted in angoanna snipd out of the mouth and then I noticed it had legs…… a Goanna!

A mental sigh of relief and keeping as still as possible, I reached for the camera in the chair pocket. It turned its head to look at me and we sat and stared at each other for what seemed to be an age. Keeping in mind that goannas have been known to think humans are trees and climb them, I decided to remain still and wondered how long we would stare at each other…

Breathe…… that’s what I tell clients to do all the time! Then curiosity got the better of me, I started to wonder about the metaphysical message of Goanna, knowing that I would have goannato wait until I returned to the city for reliable internet access. We continued to stare at each other for a little longer and I thanked it for coming to visit, whereupon it got up and ambled off, looking very much like a small crocodile, and disappeared under the fence into the bush property behind the retreat.

The message I took from that encounter, before I looked up the symbolism, was the need for stillness.  Having spent the previous 6 weeks or more with pneumonia, I had been in an altered state of consciousness for some time. Priorities have changed and I am again drawn back to the metaphysical and energy healing that has been a part of my journey this far.

It was to be a couple of weeks before I could return and with high temperatures forecast for the next week or so, it was important to help the oak tree seedlings with their survival. Deep, slow watering every couple of weeks will help to encourage them to do their best.  Each tree is planted in well aged compost from the toilet and the sawdust will help to break down the heavy clay as well retain some moisture around the roots.

Shepherd Crook labyrinthWith energy levels a little higher on this visit, having had some acupuncture and homeopathic treatment, I managed to tidy up the little labyrinth in no time at all.

This is a “Shepherd’s Crook” labyrinth and what I love about it, is that there is a choice of how to get to the centre. This allows time to ask a question and instinctively take the right or left path. I didn’t have the heart to remove the pigface or trees and one has to maneuver around them.

Later that afternoon, I took my book to the fireplace and settled down to catch up on some esoteric reading, when I heard a whoosh and looked up to see a wedgetail eagle swooping into the tree above me. The feathers on its belly and the detail on the wings were clear as it flew out of the sunlight….. Eagle flying in from the sunthen there was a little thud as it seemed to crash into the canopy above and then it was gone, but continued to circle.

I quickly got my phone out and pressed video…… trying to capture the moment but unable to track it properly because of the position of the sun. It made several circles and it was then that I realized that it was looking for the bird that had fallen but would not land because humans were there.  A sudden movement caught my eye and I found a tiny pardelote fledgling in the leaf litter with the bull ants already sensing this was their next meal. IMG_3629

I caught it and pulled the ants off, but there was no hope of getting high enough to put it back into the nest. It hopped around for some time and I did put it into a tree, but it soon fluttered back down to the ground. All I could do was to leave it and hope that it developed enough strength in its tiny wings to get back to the nest.

Whilst all this was going on, various small birds gathered, including this robin who perched about a metre away and kindly stayed still long enough for a photo to be taken!

There is a great sense of wonderment with the metaphysical meanings of the various creatures that appear at the retreat and combined with the strange and often historical nature of the dreams that occur whilst there, I am curious to find out more about the history of the area. Watching the seasonal changes is a great lesson in awareness and whilst it would be easier to use chemicals to control some of the weeds and artificial fertilizers to enhance the soil, I remain committed to organic  or permaculture practices.

 

 

 

5 Steps to Surviving the Summer Holidays

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Summer is just a few weeks away and the festive season is getting closer. Whether you look forward to it or dread it, the holiday season can be stressful for many reasons but it is possible to get through this time by following these steps.

  1. Remember to breathe…… establishing a routine for deep breathing prior to the holidays will result in this becoming second nature to you when you are in a stressful situation. A simple and effective breathing technique, done first thing in the morning and last thing at night, is to lie on your back with your hands over your belly and the fingers just touching each other. Take a deep breath into your belly area and your fingers should separate slightly and then exhale slowly allowing your belly to go flat. Do this ten times. If you find you lose count, then exert a slight pressure on each finger after every exhalation. Do it often enough and it will become a habit, then when there is a stressful situation you can trigger the relaxation by placing a hand on your abdomen and gently counting the breaths and exerting a slight pressure on the fingers.
  2. Stay in the moment…cultivate mindfulness as a strategy. When you are eating…..eat. Avoid distractions such as eating in front of the TV or whilst reading a newspaper. Be aware of the flavour, texture, smell, feel of the food and be especially aware of when you feel full. It’s OK to say “No” to second helpings or to leave some food on the plate. If there is a vast array of food, see this as an opportunity to create a small “tasting plate” and again be aware of the presentation, texture, flavours, smell of the food and whether it is a “friend or foe” to your body. Be curious about the preparation, the combination of flavours or where the food originated from. Listen to a hypnosis CD so that your subconscious mind can help you to make the right decisions about food choices when in social situations.
  3. Give within your means….. this applies not only to presents, but to your time and also what you are giving to yourself in the way of “treats”. If you love to bake, then do so and give away your creations to family and friends. If you are giving your time, make sure that you leave enough for yourself to enjoy the occasion and remember that it is OK to say “No” to demands on your time and energy.  Visualize a bubble around you that allows loving thoughts in and blocks any negative vibrations. If you are intending on giving yourself a “treat”, make it a massage instead of a meringue or a pedicure instead of a pie….
  4. Stick to routines and structure as much as possible…. Have a plan. Most holiday stress comes about from that last minute rush to make everything perfect. Set goals that are realistic. Map out whether there are any obstacles to achieving the goals and work out the best way forward.
  5. Acknowledge your emotions….. the holiday season can be difficult if you have had a bereavement or change in family structure. Spend time reflecting on what traditions you would like to keep and what you would like to change. Have a plan, this may be that you decide to keep the celebrations the way they have always been. Plan B is always a good backup to default to if you realize as you head to a social situation that you need some time alone. It’s quite alright to plan to leave a celebration a little early if you feel overwhelmed. Rescue Remedy is a great help at times like this and if you see a homeopath, ask for some specific grief remedies to help you get by.  Another useful therapy is Hypnotherapy, where you can bypass your conscious mind and use a variety of techniques to help you deal with either difficult people or situations. Smile….. even if you don’t feel like it…. the muscles in your face will send messages to your brain and release endorphins to reduce stress…. Laugh…. a good laugh is contagious and also reduces stress. ….. but above all – be authentic and acknowledge how you are feeling and share how you are feeling.

*article shared with Healthy Energy Summer 2015 Newsletter.

Personal Power

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change from a bud to blossomIt’s curious how the mind works… we can overthink a situation or a problem and tie ourselves up in emotional knots, getting stressed or overwrought …. yet when we finally allow ourselves to feel the rhythm of life and go with the flow of nature’s wisdom, we can blossom.

Perhaps it would be wise to take note of the wisdom of nature and connect with the subconscious mind and begin to acknowledge our innermost dreams. A flower doesn’t evade its life purpose or procrastinate when the time comes to blossom.  It doesn’t seek approval from outside itself…. it takes time to form a bud and then opens up and flowers.  Occasionally there are adverse conditions which may cause it to be vulnerable, but this is a strength…..

Be the gentle gardener of your soul and connect to the universal energy that surrounds us, acknowledge your journey thus far, recognise your self worth, knowledge and open to amazing opportunities as  you blossom……..