Choice

We all have choices
– as a child these were often made for us, and generally in our best interests, but as an adult, one always has a choice.
Whether we exercise that choice or not is what defines us.
If we are held back by fears from childhood or past experiences, then there comes a time to let these fears go and make life more enjoyable and meaningful.
 William Glasser wrote an excellent book “Choice Theory”, on how to choose the life you want to live and stay close to the people you need.
He writes of how we create our own quality worlds and how we are often reluctant to share these with others as we are afraid that we may be ridiculed or criticized.
We have a choice as to whether we will accept that criticism as valid and constructive or to set it aside.
Making choices means taking responsibility for your actions and allowing learnings to take place from the outcomes.
It is necessary to put aside the past, as our memories are notoriously unreliable.
We often create our memories on perceptions of an event. The unconscious mind can even create a “memory” using the imagination.
Using the imagination in a constructive way, we can then choose to reframe our existing and more painful memories in a positive and helpful way, so that we can take charge of our lives in a purposeful and empowered way.

Life Lessons

I came across a saying at a training I went to recently:

“Are you ripe and rotting or green and growing?”

I would like to think that I am still green and growing, even though chronologically am scooting through the years.

The past 12 months have provided me with some great learning moments and the highs and lows of seeking to bring more balance into my life.

Challenged by new learning systems, particularly self paced study with webinars, and not face to face contact, I managed to achieve a bit over the months.  Difficult to find the balance between the detail that is required for submitting University papers and competency based  questions, I probably over intellectualized each question on the Cert 4 papers that I handed in.

The few face to face trainings that I did attend were quite unlike previous lectures or workshops and high energy and at times I was quite out of my comfort zone. All good though and I came away with new skills that I am putting to use on a daily basis.

Most of the year has been out of my comfort zone and parts of it have been a bit of a blur.

Physically, I was knocked out with a cardiac event – the date is indelibly marked in my mind – Thursday 10th February 2011. Emotionally, I was overwhelmed by the support of a few special people who have held my hand as I mended my heart. Particularly painful was the realization that family were not part of the healing process either at the time of the event or after the surgical ablation in July.

A bit like Humpty Dumpty, I felt like I had fallen off the wall and couldn’t be put back together again, but my “healing team”, consisting of a Homeopath, an Acupuncturist, a Hypnotherapist and a couple of Reiki Masters all worked hard to contribute to my improved health. I will also acknowledge the Cardiologist, in that he sorted out the electrical malfunction. New friends have been made and they may not be aware of the pearls of wisdom that they have given me at different times.

The lessons that clients bring are all part of the journey. It truly is a privilege to work with them and honour their trust as they go into a hypnotic trance. Each session has its special moments and it is quite profound to see the relaxation on their faces when they finish a session. Truly a trance-formation!

So the journey continues, veering down the spiritual road now, having picked up the tools of Reiki and Polarity Therapy  that I had set aside for so many years. Just recently I re-visited the EMF Balancing course that I did (OMG – that was last century!!)  And having picked up these tools, I am meeting and noticing people in my life that are claiming their spirituality, acknowledging the subtle energies of the body and feeling so much better for having them in my life.

The Energy of Women

An exciting morning at the launch of “Women Building Bridges” in Clayton. Sponsored by the Victorian Immigrant & Refugee Women’s Coalition and the City of Monash, it was a great opportunity to meet with women from all walks of life and areas of the world. Dances by women completed the launch  and  networking was done over the lunch catered by the women from the Cook Islands.

So many stories to be told and the room was full of warmth, inclusiveness and a genuine desire by all to reach out hands in friendship and support.

Energy systems

The energy exploration continues…. In the past week or so I have come across Vivaxis, which warranted a look at and a continuation of studying the human energy body.
In many cultures there has been a long and detailed study of the energy systems of the body – particularly in India with Ayurvedic Medicine and China with the energy of the meridians found in Acupuncture.
All of which leads back to where I started, going back to Reiki and Polarity Therapy, both of which I studied and now use on a daily basis.
Part of the daily practice in this year of energy exploration has been the use of the zen chi machine and I am now combining that time with listening to hypnotic recordings. Gradual changes in my personal energy are being noticed and I feel more centred and clear.

Beauty in imperfection

The Japanese enjoy the concept of beauty in imperfection and on Day 12 of the energy exploration year, as I made my way downstairs to feed the dog, I noticed a largish butterfly resting on the pool cover.
A closer inspection was made and a series of photos taken and I discovered that this beautiful creature had one of it’s lower wings missing. Not sure if it had not yet unfurled or had been removed by a bird, I decided to leave the butterfly where it was.
Later that morning it had gone – I checked under the pool cover but it wasn’t in the water, so I assume it flew away.
The opportunity to record it’s presence also reminded me of being present in the here and now, to be aware of the little things in life that present themselves to us, to remind us of our own impermanence.

Meditation, mandalas and mindset

Day 10 of the exploration of energy.
The morning session on the zen chi machine seems to be getting shorter as I get used to it.
I can feel my lower back loosening up and some of the time is used for arm stretches, which also seems to help in loosening up the spine and in meditating.
Today the colours of meditation were greens and yellows.
Another warm Melbourne day and  the intention was set to use the emWave on arrival at the office – seems like I am becoming a bit of an energy junkie!!
However, I attended to a couple of phone messages first and then to writing down the workshop and  information evening dates as well as preparing the flyers for the events.
In the process of looking over the Meditation manual, I came across this Mandala and decided to do another New Moon meditation whilst contemplating it.
No matter that the New Moon was yesterday, the waxing energy is still there.
Writing down my goals for the next month and what inner resources that I have to achieve them, I found that I was focusing more and more on the lotus petals and coloured them in.
Each petal now represented a goal and the energy of the Mandala changed. In fact, it changed with each new colour that was added – as I was using the colours of the chakras, took the opportunity to use the meditation as a clearing process.
Completing the meditation felt great, there was greater clarity and a really wonderful way to set goals.

The Polarity of friendship

The flow of energy between friends flows unseen, yet it can be felt. The renewal of old friendships and the gradual lessening of contact and detachment as both you and they move on can be both liberating and in some cases, emotionally painful. Nurturing new friendships, letting go of judgements and observing how the friendship develops can take a certain amount of surrender on our part. Stuart Wilde likens friendship to “the school that you attend, where what you are is reflected back toward you. They act as a mirror. That is why people suffer a lot of imbalance, emotion and difficulty in relationships. They’re looking at themselves and their shadow and that makes them uncomfortable, fearful and angry.”The polarity of friendship is determined by the flow and interaction of energy between people. The yang or outgoing energy is the external social self and is positive. The yin or ingoing energy is the inner body, the spiritual side and holds a negative polarity. The energy to maintain a friendship can ebb and flow and the friendships that are carefully nurtured are the ones that will last a lifetime – or several. The energy of conversation between friends and the energy of positive empowerment and choosing how you spend your time, or how you help others along their paths, all contribute to the polarity of friendship. Sometimes a single word spoken between friends has a profound and lasting influence – it can heal or hurt, so choose the words carefully.What lessons are you here for? What gifts do you have to share? Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th Century British Prime Minister said “Most people go to their grave with their music still in them.”Are you in tune with your own music? Can you express yourself and your needs adequately? Can you surrender to the energy of the friendship and allow the energy to flow organically? If you are feeling that your energy is constantly being drained, then maybe it’s time to let that relationship go.

Exploring energy

Day 7 of the energy exploration year and noticing how other people’s energy is affecting me. Having the emWave is great as it enables me to record when I have got out of balance and at the same time a great tool to return to balance after a couple of sessions.
The zen- chi machine is still in use and the morning session has gone to 20 minutes – loving the feeling afterwards and noticing that I have more physical energy. All good!!

Wibble, wobble, jelly on a plate….

…that’s what was going through my mind as Day 5 of the Energy year began and I stepped up the pace on the zen-chi machine. Observing how my body has been responding is interesting – the left side is becoming more flexible and still the right ankle remains stiff and sore. The increased speed also had an effect on my lower sacrum & I very carefully did some lower back exercises before getting up off the floor. I broke my coccyx around this time of year – about 5 years ago, mucking around in the pool and landing on the pool steps. Ouch!! Looking up Louise Hay’s explanation for lower back problems “fear of money. Lack of financial support” came up. Hmmm!! So my new thought pattern is to be “Trust the process of life. All I need is always taken care of. I am safe” as I let go of the constriction in the body and restrictions in the mind.
Amazing how events unfold. On the way into work & listening to a podcast from Manifesting Wellness all about Network Chiropractic, there was information about theenergy link between emotions, endocrine system & the spinal system. So much made sense – and to think that I see a naturopath in the same clinic as a network chiropractor …… as they say… when the student is ready……!! Something to explore

The colour of energy

Moving into Day 4 of my year of exploring energy, I have been drawn to the energies of colour. Green is seen as a “healing” colour.  It is the colour of balance, one only has to look at the green colours found in nature and experience the relaxation as you look at the leaves, grass and plants and feel their energy. On the physical level, choosing the colour green may indicate an imbalance which may be caused by disease or surgery.   Using the colour green in a visualization will help to strengthen the heart chakra. Ayurvedic medicine suggests drinking emerald powder to help improve the health. Wearing emeralds will also strengthen the heart and heart chakra,  (Great idea!) and putting an emerald under the tongue is said to help predict events. On the emotional level, choosing to work with the colour green, may indicate emotional issues such as fear which causes the aura to become stagnant and blocked. The Heart Chakra (Anahata) is connected to the lungs, heart, immune system and the arms and hands. The spiritual path of the Heart Chakra is to show unconditional love, not only to others but to ourselves. This means loving how you look, how you feel about yourself, no matter what your size or shape. Having no judgement about yourself or others regardless of any faults or inconsistencies. An exercise for the Heart Chakra is Uttihita Trikonasana – The stretched Triangle – and as you do this yoga pose, bring the awareness to the Heart Chakra and imagine a soft, clear, green light filling your body as you breathe in and as you exhale, expand the green colour out into your aura.