Category Archives: goals

5 Steps to Visualizing Success

31 May 2016Abundance, clarity, goals, Insightsabundance, creativity, subconscious mind, vision board, visual meditation, visualizationMeg

Create a quiet space. Turn off the phone, the tablet the computer… if you have trouble disconnecting completely use the “aeroplane mode” so that you won’t be disturbed while you are doing your visualization. Check that there is nothing else to distract your attention either…..dogs, cats etc…and make sure the ambient temperature is just right and you are sitting in a comfortable position.

Take a deep breath and as you exhale, close your eyes. Do several more deep breaths, breathing in relaxation and exhaling any tension. You may notice your heart rate slowing down a little and as your eyes are closed, you will be more aware of other sensations and noises in your environment.

In your mind’s eye, imagine your success participating in a particular endeavour dear to you. You don’t have to disclose your vision or goal to anyone else. Make the picture clear and focus on the details. Include the sounds you would hear, feelings of how you would feel if you were to jump into or become a part of this vision. Are there any smells that you can add that would make the vision even stronger? Expand your vision further by using your imagination to hear what others are saying and how positively they are reacting to your success. As your vision gets clearer, notice how your feelings change. Keep this picture in your mind’s eye and see yourself achieving even more, setting and achieving goals easily and effortlessly…. manifesting the success that you are destined for.

To create new and successful thought pathways and to reprogramme your subconscious mind you need to practice. Just as you need to practice a musical instrument or a sport to become proficient, visualizing or manifesting requires some effort. Done daily or even twice daily, using positive language …. as if your success is happening right now…. will make it more real.

Take your time….create a quality vision and be open to what comes up during your sessions, as your subconscious mind will seek to bring you even more clarity to your visualization. New and unexpected opportunities and synchronicities will pop up as you refine your vision and the time spent in this meditative state will have other benefits such as enhanced creativity and an inner peacefulness. After each session, journal your insights or add to your vision board.

Autumn Planting

11 March 2015dreaming, Energy, goals, labyrinth, Orbs, Permaculture, RetreatAutumn, clay soil, Dreaming, environment, labyrinth, Oak trees, planting, Pomegranate trees, renewalMeg

Probably not the best time of year to start planting, but on advice from a friend that is wise about these matters, I put in the first of the home grown oak trees just after the first Autumn Full Moon.

The soil was just a shade softer than concrete. It’s a heavy clay and as the summer sun has dried out the moisture and the grass has died back and gone crispy and crunchy underfoot, a pick was required to loosen the soil. After digging just four holes, I was dreaming of a mechanical auger to do the holes for the next 10 or so trees that are waiting to be planted out, until I read the reviews on several sites and forums.

The first of the composted toilet bins has gone beyond 12 months of “cooking” in the sun, so once a deepish hole (around 500mm) was dug, half a bucket was tipped into each oak tree hole and mixed with the soil to help with drainage and feed the trees. Surprisingly, there was very little odour, so I assume that the composting has been successful.

Stakes and tree guards were put around the two Oak trees and the two Pomegranate trees that were planted and watered in well. Another acorn was planted directly into the ground next to the passionfruit vine which on this visit was looking decidedly unwell. I had planned to move it to a less sunny spot as “full sun” up here is equivalent to baking and crisping!

Having discovered that a reasonably liberal sprinkling of gypsum throughout the labyrinth has made the soil there a little easier to dig, I will take up a couple of bags on the next visit to apply before putting in the next trees and see if it works it magic again.

The driveway has a collection or avenue of native trees such as wattles, eucalyptus and pinwheel hakeas as one heads up from the roadway towards the cottage and shed. Most of the property was pasture at some stage, with a remnant stand of Bull Mallee trees at the high point and some tall eucalyptus trees on the lower slopes, which I usually refer to as the “wild area”. One can choose to continue driving along the fence line or turn east along the edge of the “wild area” towards the astronomy dome which sits like a lonely Dalek in the paddock. It is along this area that I will create (if nature and the wildlife allow) a deciduous avenue of oak trees -perhaps in the future they will become the backdrop to a garden of a house yet to be dreamed of, let alone built. Planning the future plantings and ensuring a good water supply for the cottage, the labyrinth and the trees changes as the land reveals itself takes time and careful consideration.

Each trip has different highlights. Often it is to note the changes of season, or to walk the labyrinth or to roam the property and catch the energy of the land. Nights are interesting, even though I have vivid dreams in the city, the dreams here are lucid and have characters who seem to have stepped out of a time long gone. Another friend who is a gifted psychic, has suggested I’m picking up on the energy of the goldrush days and the colourful characters that roamed this area back then. Whatever it is, I’m quite happy to go with the flow and enjoy the peaceful environment and work on restoring the land gradually and along permaculture principles.

Feeling seedy

27 October 2014Energy, extraordinary life, goals, intention, labyrinth, lessons learned, New Moon, projects, RetreatChartres style labyrinth, labyrinth, Oak trees, weeds, wildlifeMeg

The good winter rains meant that there is a variety of grasses that sprung up to replace some of the weeds that also popped up in the labyrinth. These have now all seeded and the labyrinth has taken on an unkempt appearance. A trial of sawdust as a pathway covering has mixed success. It feels lovely to walk on and the tannins in the wood have begun to leach out of the damp, underlayer, but a couple of hardy plants have poked their heads through and flowered.

The lawnmower will be packed for the next trip, but before it can be mowed, I will have to remove any rocks from the pathway.

The wildlife has taken a fancy to the garlic planted in the outer marking ring. It took off really well and in the two weeks since the last visit, has been munched, so my vision of having a nice summer crop of organic garlic to share has evaporated. I guess there are a few garlic flavoured kangaroos and rabbits hopping about……as the chap over the back with the shotgun may well find out. I’m sure that’s why they all hang out at my place!!

Unfortunately the wildlife also took a fancy to the Oak tree seedling in the centre of the labyrinth. Fortunately there was a strong green stem with a tiny bud to one side remaining.

Having planned to plant out the other dozen Oak tree seedlings over the weekend, I had brought up tomato stakes and tree guards to protect them, so one was immediately seconded for this little tree.

I’m hoping that this will give it a second chance. It’s all a learning experience…..! There’s a possibility of returning to an original idea of building a fence around the labyrinth, but I do like the wide open spaces around it. As yet the wildlife hasn’t got hungry enough to eat the sage or the lavender, so fingers crossed they won’t!!

I’ve found a flat, well flattish, area to build the next labyrinth. Out in the middle of the paddock…. but it will have to wait until the little thistle patch is under control.

I’m often asked what I’m growing on the block and I think people expect a response like “Wheat/barley/grapes or sheep/goats/cows”… so far it’s weeds……. lots of weeds……

Biddy bush, Capeweed, onion weed, little thistles, mistletoe, dodder laurel, rabbits, roos and I’m sure there are more that I haven’t learnt the names of yet….

I needed to dig a dozen holes to put the city Oak tree seedlings in, so it was decided that they would form an outer ring to a Chartres style labyrinth in another spot. Firstly I had to find the spot and then mark out the compass points for the labyrinth. Using a compass, I marked out the cardinal points. It’s too early to decide whether to enter from the East or West, that will come later. The stakes were a little hard to hammer in as the soil is a heavy clay that has contracted and is starting to crack. Being a novice, I managed to hit my hand a few times!

Just measuring out the cardinal points was hot work! The temperature in the shade up near the cottage was in the low 30’s C, and I didn’t really want to know how warm it would be out in the open paddock.

Next, I needed to measure out where the Oaks would go….. so another circle was measured – allowing at least a 10 meter space for the Oaks to grow and not interfere with the labyrinth or each other. It was in marking this out, I realized that I wouldn’t have enough stakes to protect the Oak seedlings.

Sunday morning presented a different problem. The stakes that I had used for the outer ring (and were to be used for tree guards) were too flimsy and the travelling kangaroos had snapped some off near the base….so the decision was made to take the Oak seedlings back to the city, chance re-potting them into bigger pots until they became dormant again. The thinking behind this is to give them a better chance of surviving a hot, waterless summer and the roaming roos, whilst also giving me time to get the holes dug and the stakes in place (without the trees inside) to test how they will stand up to the traffic!

Gardening for the Soul

2 September 2014Abundance, Coaching, extraordinary life, goals, gratitudeMeg

Well, I’m thinking that time has come….

This site will undergo a relaunch in the next few weeks (Spring/Autumn – it doesn’t really matter where you are) … if the branch isn’t growing, then it’s time to prune it, to allow for new growth and the flowers to bloom….

For too long I have defined myself by the studies I’ve done, partly as a need for recognition.

I’m ditching the courses – they will go online for people to download if they are interested – just a matter of finding the right platform to deliver them automatically ( & at a reasonable price).

Most of my clients are seeking solutions to their stress and with that in mind, I have been taking some training lately that I feel will be most beneficial to both clients and their workplaces.

In between, there is still the development of the retreat – especially the labyrinth and sowing the seeds of various herbs to plant out when they reach a more robust stage – very much how the business is growing! It doesn’t work to plant a seed and continue to watch and wait for it to emerge for more than one season – you replant with a hardier variety!!

So watch this space….

Winter plantings

21 July 2014Abundance, dreaming, extraordinary life, goals, gratitude, labyrinth, lifestylecitrus, herbs, permaculture, Projects, Wattles, winterMeg

A recent bout of the flu slowed down the plans for planting more productive trees and herbs, as well as the cooler weather and the likelihood of losing plants to frost.

However, over the last month a lemon tree has been planted where the “wild area” meets the paddock and seems to be surviving quite happily.I keep meaning to take up some citrus feed for it….and to start looking around for some other citrus varieties such as oranges, mandarin and grapefruit to plant nearby as well.

A passionfruit vine has been planted along the fence that marks the paddock boundary and I discovered that getting organic certification for the property will not be possible – even though most permaculture sites have articles about safely composting everything – including properly composted humanure – and no pesticides or chemically based fertilizers will be used. Its new leaves and tendrils have been a little tinged by the frost, but otherwise seems to be liking where it is.

The plan is to have mini orchards or small groves of productive plants scattered around the property, modelling permaculture principles. For instance, the pomegranates will go on a slope below the labyrinth where the Biddy Bush has been cleared and to the south, on the rockier slope near the wild area, is a site more suitable for a small stand of olives. Both are relatively hardy species and should do well.

Had the government kept the Carbon Tax, I could have planted an area of non fruiting trees for carbon credits, which would have been an appropriate thing to do as we are spending a lot of time travelling back and forth from the city to the retreat. Not to worry, I shall proceed anyway….it’s all in the planning of where the best locations are for various species.

Already the damp winter has taken its toll on the Pinwheel Hakeas – they were originally found in Western Australia – a couple have “turned up their toes” and fallen over. I’ve harvested a few seed pods and they reside for the time being in a paper bag on the dash of the car, where the heater warms them up. Once open, the bag will be held over an open, smoky fire to encourage them to germinate.

An almond tree and the pomegranate trees live in pots back in suburbia for the time being and will travel up to the retreat in the next couple of weeks to acclimatize before planting out. I’m thinking that the almond tree will replace one of the fallen Hakea trees (which means I will have to get a couple more- maybe 3 – for pollination) along the driveway. That will certainly add some colour and if the almonds set, I’m sure that the Cockatoos will be pleased.

At present there are a couple of varieties of wattles in glorious yellow. One of these is a Flinders Ranges Wattle according to a weathered nursery tag at its base. I will have to watch this one and quite possibly won’t be propagating any more from seed- if it sets any. It’s not listed as a weed in Victoria to my knowledge, but is in Western Australia. Over on the north eastern edge of the property is another small stand of wattles, which I think are bent leaf wattles. Around the cottage and the labyrinth are Mallee Wattles, whilst the wild area has some scattered specimens of Spreading Wattle – which is white and quite prickly and has been happily flowering since mid May.

To further attract the bees and to add more riotous colour to the driveway, I would like to put in some Jacaranda trees. They seem to grow quite happily in nearby Tatura and Shepparton, but I need to investigate further to see if they are likely to end up as a weed. Because the retreat is close to the State Forest, I’m happy to include other species of deciduous trees and shrubs if they are productive and contribute to self sufficiency.

The labyrinth sage still seems to be quite happy and the kangaroos still have enough feed to ignore it. A couple more weeks to go before I start to grow more from seed to plant out in springtime. A Rosemary cutting has been planted near the fire pit – nice and close to reach for if there is roast lamb cooking in the camp oven! The mallee wood burns well, but it was a little too chilly this weekend to stand outside in the evening to enjoy the fire! Very grateful that it wasn’t raining as well.

With the low temperatures this weekend, there is serious investigation into purchasing a wood heater for the cottage. The small electric heater that is installed is not very efficient at coping with O’ C and below and extremely power hungry. The challenge now is to find one that is the right size for the current cottage and will also be efficient in heating any planned extension. With plenty of fallen wood on the roadside verge and around the property, this seems to be the most cost effective heating option.

An Astrological New Year

27 May 2014Abundance, Astrology, clarity, crossroads, flow, goals, intention, mindfulness, oracle cards, spiritMeg

Just recently, the astrological influences were full of Chiron in almost every aspect of my chart.
Fortunate to be offered a chance to be a “case study” for a friend undertaking post graduate qualifications, I saw this as an opportunity to work on “The Wounded Healer”.

Interesting what came up for me at this time and I have started working on an outline for a new book as a result.

I’m happy to have help from all areas, including Astrology, Tarot and the spirit world, if it brings some clarity to my life.
I subscribe to a daily forecast for Gemini and find that the readings are generally pretty spot on for me…. today’s was interesting!

“Despite the fact that you’re now in the early days of your birthday month and new solar year and you even have a New Moon in 2 days time that will ask that you draw a new line in the sand, it’s too soon to fully turn your back on the past. Instead you have the luxury of being able to leave the doors to the past open, retaining a clear view of the rear view mirror and the road ahead. At any time, when you’re unsure what new steps you should take, you’re free to look back to the past for inspiration.“

It’s crossroads time again……
I’m drawn to spending more time up at the retreat ….. but that requires some building extensions and serious electrical and plumbing work to make it work. As well as deciding whether I will go to live up there full time at some stage,.
Then there is a decision to make as to whether I keep paying rent on the clinic room I have at present (especially if I’m not there all the time). It might make more economic sense to let it go and use my home office again, now that dear old Ben the Labrador is no longer there to cry at the closed door.

I turned to Colette Baron-Reid’s The Enchanted Map this morning for a 6 card reading. 5 cards fell on the floor as I was shuffling, so I kept them and laid them out in the order they fell, then picked a final card from the cut deck to make up the 6.

Past Influence – Magic Stream (Reversed) – Swimming against the current… time to stop “trying”, jump into the stream and float……immersing yourself and be fully present in the moment. Many of my talks have been on Meditation and Mindfulness. I have an emWave (which sat idle for many months … time to walk the talk and be fully present.
Present Point – Rock Bottom – This is the point where you can go no further doing what you have been doing. The old way of doing things must be discarded in order to move fully onward and upward. A new direction & strategy are needed. Surrender, accept things as they are & synchronicity will sort things out. By letting go completely a miracle can occur…Wasn’t it Einstein who said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again? Time to get over myself and use the gifts and therapy tools in a different way. Let go and let God is another saying that one of my teachers gave me…..
What you resist – Intention – Inspired intentions are like magic arrows shot into the sky….connect to the power of intention, let others help to co-create reality & allow synchronicity to work the magic. Own the life you want to lead & live deliberately…..Rather than daydreaming, it’s time to focus the intention on what I really want…. making some positive goals, setting time frames …. all the very things I ask clients to do……..
Unexpected Help – Rescue You are always safe and secure, and free to be yourself are the words at the top of the guide to this card…Asking for help isn’t easy for many successful people. However, that’s what you need to do now as you expand your life. Ask and assistance will come your way and the expected support will come from Spirit. With the right relationship with the Divine, conditions will line up and help will arrive….. It’s easy to forget to ask Spirit and the Angels for help. It has always come in the past and for that I have been grateful. I’m sure gratitude is the key ….
The next right action – Encouragement The last card in this deck... “you are receiving a nudge in the right direction”…. Step into your power, into the dream of your life. New things are out there to be explored and the universe is giving you a nudge in the right direction. You will get the help you need and won’t be alone in your quest. Every step is supported by the wisdom of the universe. You are on the right path….. keep going! Not the time to give up…Memo to self…. stop wallowing, take the Victim stamp off your forehead…. yes the past has had some difficult circumstances, but it is the past and like the astrological reading says, view it in the rear view mirror as you drive with a clear view to a new destination – the future…
Probable future destination – Mountain “You have the capacity to flow around any obstacle. This is the time to adapt”…. what seems to be an insurmountable obstacle, like a mountain is in the path of success. Rather than climb it, be like the rivers that flow around mountains naturally. Adapt to circumstances. If you do climb it, take one step at a time….

And so the reading comes full circle….. I do have to chuckle at what a random set of cards will come up with.

Just to be sure I drew one more card for my Soul’s Intention.
Home – Peace, security, safety, belonging are all features one would want from “Home” are indicated now. Time for opening your eyes to your tribe of like minded people. … home is love & it’s all around you ….you are where you are meant to be and will reap great benefits by staying on this path, regardless of where it leads – Home is where the heart is!! I found this reading to be quite educational. Certainly there are layers that need to be further unpacked.
Already we are beginning to come into the energy of the New Moon on Thursday. This makes it an excellent time to do a series of meditations on this reading and create the intent to move forward at the same time as letting go of ego’s investment in the outcome.
A great time to set new goals, which model to use?
SMART, GROW, Be Do Have or another?
Maybe all of the them as an exercise to gain clarity.
Behavioural flexibility is yet another key…… I can’t change the world, but I can change the way I think, what I do, which in turn will change my physiology and my perspective.

Meg Phillips

The Art of Stress Management