Add a little chi

EMF Balance, Energy, HeartMath, Reiki, Zen Chi

Chi (or Ki in Japanese) is all about energy.
“Where attention goes, energy flows” – I’m not sure who said that, but I like it!
The reason I am focusing on energy is because I’m in the process of writing a workbook to accompany an energy workshop. 
It took a request from a client to experience a Polarity massage to revisit the practices that I had let lapse.
The daily meditation was still in place but since the health issue last year, my personal energy fields are quite depleted. I was eating well – too well – given that I was not as active as I had been before.
But something had changed within.
Again and again I found myself drawn to the study of energy within the body. Using the emWave daily has helped with finding congruence and the HeartMath material on the energetic heart is great reading. Well, I think so!
Another energy system that I use regularly is Reiki – hands on daily and all the better if there is someone to do it for. I have always enjoyed the quietness that comes from giving a Reiki and it took a conversation with another Reiki Master Teacher just recently to realize that I need to schedule some regular classes to teach. Currently I offer “boutique” training, which means that I teach when the student enquires about a class.
Another energy system that I have recently revisited is the EMF Balancing Technique and the energy generated by using one of the symbols has been very effective in making some changes to my work environment.
Last weekend I dusted off the Zen Chi machine and gave it a go. I did this because I couldn’t get medical clearance to go to the gym and decided to be a little more pro-active in minding my own health.
I had forgotten the feeling that is experienced after a session and today is now Day 3 of my new and improved energy program.

When Life brings you lemons….

Cardiac Ablation, Homeopathy, Philosophy, Spirituality

….make lemonade!
No point being sour and puckered up about what happened, find a little sweetness to add and hey presto!
A delicious experience!
2011 has been a rollercoaster of a year.
Sudden highs and dramatic drops – heart stopping – literally!
The Tasmanian adventure in January started with some soul searching and a trip to a hypnotherapy colleague to resolve my reaction to a spiritual event.
My Reiki Master, who is also a Free Priest in the Order of Melchizidek, has been suggesting for many years that she ordain me & I was set to go through with the process, but had a sense of dread as the day approached. My stomach lurched when she described the ordination process & I took this as a pretty good “gut reaction” that it wasn’t going to happen.
In the end I delayed the trip by a couple of days and although we did meet, she continues to express her disappointment that I didn’t go through with it.
Interestingly I lost the Larimar stone from my Lives between Lives session whilst in Hobart.
But I did find an Orb!
The time in Tasmania went quickly and returning to Melbourne at the end of January, it was strange, but nice, not starting school.
A new phase of my life was starting. I had already taken on my room and had been down there part time in 2010, so it was familiar. I was continuing with my studies – a Certificate 4 in Business as part of a Diploma in Life Coaching and had clients scheduled.
An earlier post chronicles the event of February 10th, which has seen my life take a different direction. Priorities changed and moving through the “muddle headedness” was a challenge.
Focusing on completing my studies helped enormously and Spirit provided enough clients each month to pay the rent on the room.

Over the year, I have grown to love my space – looking out onto a grassy area with some trees, there are a couple of magpies that come close to the windows and peer in from time to time and the other tenants always have a cheery greeting.
The space has given my time to pursue some dreams and bring some into reality.
A few new friends were very supportive and this contrasted with the lack of emotional support from family, both around the cardiac event and my change in career.
At this stage I’m going pucker up and have a lemon moment!
After having been a “people pleaser” (or doormat as my friend Susan once famously said) for 30 years in my marriage family, the lack of support has been like a massive slap in the face. ( 🙂 remember I have abandonment issues!!) A pointer to their insularity & as the psychologist I was seeing to deal with the post cardiac anxiety said ” Would you be friends with them if you weren’t married?” I don’t think so, however I am grateful for the clarity that has come from their inaction.
More time out in July as the palpitations continued and it was decided to undergo a Cardiac Ablation.  This was very confronting and I nearly didn’t go. The Cardiologist remarked after the procedure that he didn’t expect to find anything and was surprised to find a “rogue circuit” that caused my heart to race at an astounding pace. I have been using hypnotherapy to go into a relaxed healing state daily, along with daily EmWave sessions (which have also shown when I have had arrhythmias). Metaphorically, I have decided to look at the ablation as the opportunity to excise old heart hurts, burning out the old. Reflecting on my lemon moment, perhaps the ablation cut deeper than I thought!
Interestingly a number of clients I have seen over the last 6 months have had cardiac events and being non retirees have struggled with lack of support as well. They do say you attract the clients you need for your own development.
A couple of joint ventures with workshops have been an excellent learning experience and I am grateful to the wonderful women with whom I have worked to present them.

More recently, I ran my first homeopathic workshop and realized that I have a wealth of material which I wrote in 2000 and 2002. Homeopathic manuals that are hyperlinked from remedy to symptom and back again. I’m impressed with what I did then!
Time to set it free from the files where they have been store and share with the world! Book release perhaps!
Focussing on the clinical aspect has been good and now it’s time to move in a more spiritual direction, mixing the clinical and spiritual.
So my New Year’s Resolution is….?
Step into integrity, walk the talk and honour who I am and where I have come from.
I am grateful to the teachers I have had along the way and to wake up every morning to new and wonderful opportunities……so my resolution for 2012 is to show gratitude.

Watching the Emotions

Life balance, Philosophy, , , , ,

The frantic rush of shopping, with tempers flaring over lack of parking spaces and erratic driving as people’s minds are elsewhere.

It seems that nearly every social event is awash with alcohol and this contributes to the scattered feeling.

It’s an emotional time of year at the best of times, with the Summer Solstice and the busyness of winding up school and work projects, Christmas or end of year parties.

The overload of food, laden in fat and sugar places stress on our physical bodies, whilst the overload of social events with the expectation of presents and gaiety overload our emotional bodies. The assault on our senses of tinsel and lights and constant caroling put further strain on sensitive souls.

Family functions are fraught with dangers. Long suppressed slights and perceptions can erupt into nastiness after the throat has been well lubricated with alcohol. To be an interested and disassociated observer at these social functions takes a lot of effort, but can have its own reward in feeling a sense of peace, finding an oasis of calm in the maelström of emotion that swirls about.

So how to go about surviving this time of year?

Choose to simplify – everything.

Presents

If buying presents has become a financial strain – set a price limit, organize a Kris Kringle with the family, suggesting that this way each person gets a quality present, and not something that ends up in that secret gift cupboard or drawer to be recycled to someone else.

Alternatively, announce that you are buying each person a charity donation which will help someone less fortunate.

Cards

E-cards are not the same as the paper ones, but a handy standby for the last minute seasons greetings. There are now online options where you can choose a card which are printed with your message and  posted out when your order is completed.

Events

Pick and choose your events. If you are an empath  (someone who picks up others emotional states), make a brief appearance and make your apologies as early as possible. Difficult to do with family events, but at these if you can make yourself busy with serving food & clearing the tables, you will be able to extricate yourself from most emotionally laden conversations and observe.

Food

Choose the least rich foods and avoid heavy, fatty food or sugary concoctions which will stress your liver. The festive ham is loaded with nitrates as are most cured meats. Avoid pasta, rice or potato salads if they have sat out for a while as they can cause stomach upsets. The festive puddings, such as Pavlovas, fruit mince tarts and shortbreads are laden with sugar & fats.

Research shows that a diet high in sugar results in premature aging and for blokes, a high fat diet has a negative effect on your reproductive system.

If the food is served as a buffet, you will have greater control over the food you put on your plate and the portion sizes.

Being summer, there is a greater chance of a range of salads included in the meal, so head for those and enjoy the rewards of not feeling bloated.

If your host insists on serving the meal, ask for a smaller sized portion for health reasons.

Find some time for yourself

Even a 5 or 10 minute walk or meditation will help out.

Avoid the alcohol and/or the Valium to keep your head clear.

Observe

Rather than react, observe the conversations and behaviours.

Being aware of illnesses or conditions that family members have and looking up Louise Hay’s Heal Your Body, allows you to see them in a different perspective.

For instance, the person with constant aches is probably longing for love or to be held or the one with tics or twitches is bound by fear and a feeling of being watched or judged by others.  

The elderly gentleman with prostate problems may have mental fears about his masculinity, sexual pressure or guilt or a belief in aging.

The relative with the knee problems may be experiencing stubborn pride and ego and has an inability to bend and certainly won’t give in. They almost certainly will have a bit of fear with that inflexibility.

Another relative with vertigo may be experiencing scattered thinking or a refusal to look at their lifestyle, whilst the child who constantly sulks in the corner may just be overwhelmed by the anxiety projected bythe adults who are unable to trust the flow and process of life.

Yet another relative with chronic shoulder problems has lost the ability to experience life joyously. They are making life a burden for themselves. The family alcoholic is laden with guilt, inadequacies and self rejection and the overweight members of the family hide their anger at being denied emotional nourishment.

Gratitude

Feel gratitude for something that the event or these people can bring to your life. Feel the grace and peace that comes with regular gratitude moments.

Planetary Ages and Stages

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Ancient astrologers not only noted the planetary periods of the days and months, but recognised that there were planetary influences as we age.
The Moon influences the first seven years of life, with the child absorbing nutrients from the physical, emotional and spiritual worlds.The mothering influence of the Moon works on the etheric of the developing child and together with the parental influences, loves and nurtures the soul.

Mercury begins to influence the child from the time of losing the “milk teeth” to puberty. The planet of the mind, it governs thought, learning and the beginning of reason. Innate curiousity about the outer world is awakened and the imagination is developed. A quiet discipline to direct the child and good role models are needed as the child of this age is good at imitating adult behaviours.
Venus rules the teenager, from about the age of 15 through to 22. The emotions and reproductive development collide with the pressures of school and study and there is often an internal conflict as they learn to cope with these demands. Venus is the planet of love & beauty, but the opposite traits of laziness and overindulgence can lurk beneath the exterior, manifesting in rebellion and confusion if not supported. Emotions run high, sexual awareness develops and nurturing the spirit to build the solar body needs careful and thoughtful consideration.
From the age of 22 to 41, the individual enters into the age of the Sun, having fully incarnated into their soul. The Sun, astrologically associated with the 5th House, means that the search for life partners and creating a home of one’s own becomes a priority. Responsibility, duty and contribution become part of the way in which life is lived.
Mars – the opposite planet to Venus –  rules the years from 42 to 56. Here many experience major life changes and for women, the “change of life” or menopause also occurs. Generally the children have grown up and there is more freedom for the parent than before. Previous life ambitions may be re-visited and new careers forged. Other changes that occur are the passing of parents or relatives and the immortality of youth fades. The body may start to show signs of “wear and tear” and a meditation practice is beneficial.
Jupiter rules the next, sixth stage of our lives – from 57 to 68 years of age. Jupiter is a time of change in the soul as well as the body and a greater spirituality awakens as we become more familiar with the transience of life and the vagaries of the aging body.
Saturn rules the final stage – old age- from 69 to whenever we die. After many years of hard work, caring for children or elderly relatives, this period can be a period of serenity. Saturn is the bridge between worlds and focusing on the mind in the heart will enable us to cross into the spirit world with greater ease when the time is right. For some, living to a very old age, this time can be difficult, a time of endurance and faith can be tested.

Monday Meditations

Education, Hypnotherapy, Life balance, Philosophy,

Yes, check the calendar, it’s Tuesday! The last 2 Monday evenings have been set aside for meditation and although the group is small, I am getting so much more than I thought possible from it.

I scheduled ten  sessions, each with a different topic and designed for both the regular meditator and the beginner.

Week one began with breath work, using different styles of breathing including counting the breath, and alternate nostril breathing. That one can be tricky if you have a cold or hay fever!

Week two was progressive muscle relaxation. We did going up the body from the feet to the head and then down again in a different style. There are as many variations on progressive relaxation as there are teachers, but I based the first on Ian Gawler’s interpretation and the second was what I use in some of my hypnotic inductions.

We had a short discussion whilst waiting to see if more people were to arrive about Chakras meditations, but we may not touch on this until the Mandala and meditation session in late November.

The mind is much clearer and the manual is on the way to being written. So many other books to read and reference from, but it seems that Mindfulness meditation is the path that I am most drawn to. It is a joy to sit a record the exercises, although there are a few “office noises” invariably just as the session is about to finish. It just means that I treat that as a rehearsal and do it again, and find that I relax more as I get into the flow of recording.

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Eating for Energy

Education, Life balance, Philosophy, Polarity Therapy, , , ,

This requires thought…. too often we just grab something quick and easy without awareness and eat it too quickly and too much.

What do you habitually choose?

Breads and carbohydrate rich foods are easy to get access to and have their place if you are involved in an activity or occupation that requires strenuous muscular effort.

Fresh vegetables and fruits are abundant in Australia and even though the price of bananas has been high due to tropical cyclone & flood damage, a few bananas are a better alternative to processed convenience food laden with artificial chemical additives, trans fats and sugars. It is more than worth the effort to read the labels and choose foods that have fewer ingredients listed on them, for your long-term health.

There are some simple rules to observe when eating for energy:

  1. Eat when you are hungry. Sounds obvious, but we often eat when we are not, for a variety of reasons. These could be emotional eating, regulated meal times or that we have eaten too much at the last meal.
  2. Avoid eating at times when you are tired, run down, stressed or ill. Stress causes the body to divert its attention away from the digestive process, so take a glass of water, a few minutes to meditate or calm down and  wait until you are feeling hungry.
  3. Eat slowly and with mindfulness so that you can truly be aware of the flavour and texture of your food and become aware of the life force within it. (assuming you are not eating processed food!)
  4. Plan your meals to occur at regular times. Include snack times, so that you have something to eat about every 3 hours.
  5. Eat breakfast – this should be your biggest meal and dinner the lightest, which is completely opposite to what most of us do. Ensure that your last food intake is at least 3 hours before going to bed, so that digestion can begin effectively.

There are several schools of thought about what you should be eating.

You might want to consider the following:

  • food miles – how far has your food travelled to get to you?
  • food combining – this means not combining carbohydrates with protein or acid fruits. Proteins can be divided into 3 more groups – animal flesh, dairy and nuts/seeds.
  • Mono meals – choosing one particular food for a meal and eating nothing else.
  • Vegetarian –  choosing to forgo eating animal flesh for either ethical reasons or religious reasons. 

Eating for energy is not a diet plan, it is a method of making better choices about what food to fuel your body and for the planet. Learn which foods are acid forming and which are alkaline. Alkaline foods are vegetables, salads, fruit (except plums & cranberries), almonds and milk. Acid foods are all animal proteins, cheese, nuts and foods made from cereals. Check for sugar content. Refined sweets & sugars are metabolized quickly by your body and will result in that “sugar crash” and further stress your body, leading to long-term to insulin resistance in susceptible individuals.

There are any number of websites and books that can further educate you on which foods are best for you. Ultimately it is up to you to experiment with what types of foods give you the most health and energy.  Sue Dengate’s book Fed Up is useful to discover what additives are in your food. The food combining plan devised by Dr William Hay has helped many people regain health. The Polarity Diet by Dr Randolph Stone is a wonderful way to regain energy and health.

De-Hypnotise yourself

Hypnotherapy, Life balance, Philosophy

I like to joke with my clients about my habit of choosing black to wear.

It’s not that I live in Melbourne, where black is a favoured colour at all, but it’s the case of the “pot calling the kettle black!”You see, I’m an expert on stress! Not only do I give presentations on how to identify it and reduce it, but being competitive, I can probably do stress better than most!

So how has stress served me? Apart from giving me a topic to talk about; when I removed a major stressor from my life – working in schools – I experienced a post stress, cardiac event earlier this year. Which of course has given me another topic related to stress to talk about!

Working through the stages of grief that so often accompanies a life changing situation, that Elizabeth Kubler-Ross identified, I went straight into the first stage:

  • Denial – it’s not happening to me. So much into denial that I put myself into a hypnotic state and waited for the symptoms to go away, which of course they didn’t.
  • Anger – I got angry with everyone; myself, family, the doctors, the nurses….. I was ready to get up off the hospital trolley and go home because NO-ONE was telling me what was happening to me, prior to the angiogram.
  • Bargaining – this was a fairly brief stage,  more along the lines of how I might re-organize my lifestyle and having to come to terms with asking people to help, which was a new and difficult experience.
  • Depression – debatable whether I got to this stage. I did experience anxiety as I was continuing to have symptoms and sought professional help to manage this. Unfortunately the psychologist I saw, considered that my symptoms were more mental than physical and I went back into the “angry” stage, contemplating cancelling a scheduled cardiac procedure, which subsequently showed a physical issue.
  • Acceptance – I have now accepted that the events happened and through my own process, have come to the conclusion that I happen to have a condition (insert your own condition here…)that can be treated by…… you guessed it….. Hypnotherapy!

William James put forward the theory that 95% of our mind works at the unconscious or sub-conscious level taking care of biological functions as well as so much more of what we do and think. Like an iceberg, only 5% is on the surface. If this is so, then we can harness this unseen energy to change our focus.

It’s all about mindset.

So if you have just been diagnosed with a health problem, perhaps Type 2 Diabetes or a Cardiovascular issue, are you the person with the disease or do you just have symptoms of the condition?

We know that the potential of the human mind has barely been used and if this is so, then it is possible to de-hypnotise yourself from the suggestion that your future will be the same as the next person’s, without taking into account differing lifestyles.

If you are anxious about your health, or have been recently diagnosed with a health condition or experienced a series of cardiac symptoms, then a few sessions of Hypnotherapy combined with some powerful coaching techniques will help. Call to book a half hour complimentary session to discuss how you can use Hypnotherapy to successfully manage your mindset and reduce anxiety.

Club secretaries or organizations may be interested in the one hour presentation on 10 Keys to Managing your Health  as this is particularly relevant to the Baby Boomer generation.

 

Weekend wanderings

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Subtitled: How to conquer your fears and go anyway
A weekend away was planned many months ago and before my recent surgery. The 6 week checkup was brought forward to 5 weeks to get the “all clear” to go away, but a minor spanner in the works with the cardiologist leaving the practice. The next available appointment with a similar specialist is mid October.

Time for a new mindset.
I must be OK because the medico’s don’t need to see me.

Camper hooked up, we headed off. No trip away in this camper without some rain and we had some light showers whilst driving.
A full day driving and the Nissan was not running so well. No oomph at all to climb those hills. Running out of puff….. could have lots of fun with the metaphysics of this.

Big lunch at Dadswells Bridge – where the “Big Koala” is and quite different to see the surrounding countryside in varying shades of green and yellows – these being alternately from the wattles and the canola crops.
Most of our trips through this area have been earlier in the year and before the drought broke and the flooding took place.
Turning off the main road to take a road less travelled we came across Mt Arapiles – quite spectactular. Mitre Rock nearby was also fascinating and gave us something to focus on as we drove toward it.

Junk food for dinner at Murray Bridge and heading out to the campsite in the dark. Obviously the Roo Whistle that we have mounted on the front of the Nissan works well as we didn’t see any bouncing about in the headlights at all!
We were welcomed at Saunders Gorge Sanctuary  by Rob of Red Earth Expeditions who organized the weekend and the braking classes for people with their new Ultimates or XTracks. They were all cozy around a large campfire and we were directed to a camping site a little down the track where we proceeded to set up in the dark.

What a spectacular view in the morning. And the bird song! Started well before dawn, raucous kookaburras and then all types of cockatoos & galahs as well as the quieter, more melodious song of the finches and other smaller birds. Stepping out of the camper, the first thing to feast the eyes upon was an ancient tree.
Judging by the size of the trunk, at least 300 or more years old and the energy of its presence was just what I was looking for. On the other side of the camping area that we had set up in, another tall tree with a hive of bees in it.

A quiet morning and we stayed around the campfire and re-started it to bake some scones in the camp oven whilst the others played with their campers and braking. Oven hot, mix made (from a packet) and scones cooked in no time at all – only to find that the flour or the shortening in the mix had gone rancid and whilst they looked yummy, the scones tasted dreadful! They were quickly returned as fuel for the fire – looking almost like those heat beads as the fire consumed them with gusto. The evening dinner was cooked up at the restaurant and we returned to the fire for more socializing and stories.
Sunday saw a trip in convoy around the property. A feature of which was a long stretch of hand made stone wall, which had been constructed in the 19th Century by Scottish labourers at the cost of one pound per chain. They also brought another reminder of their homeland – the thistle.

With the number of vehicles in the group and the steepness of the terrain in places, progress was slow but steady and we returned to the campsite sometime after 2pm, whereupon most packed up their campers and left for various destinations. We took another road less travelled and headed east out through Pinnaroo and beyond, stopping overnight at Murrayville which is not on the Murray River at all. More driving the following day through canola fields – some with large holes in the swathe of flowers – due to the recent mouse plagues, where the rodents had eaten the seed after sowing.
On return to Melbourne, the power problem with the Nissan had not improved at all. This ruled out any fuel problem as we had completely re-fueled by this stage. Bit awkward when fully laden semi trailers can pass you on the climb up the hills outside Bendigo. Duly booked in for a checkup, the problem was found – a broken wire to the turbo. Guess this vehicle is going to be remembered for which wires broke on which trip. (Broken wire in the firewall to the MAF on the way back from Broken Hill) & lost count of the times the tail light wires have broken on various desert trips! Interesting parallel to think about broken electrics, given my own health issue!

Stepping Stones on the Spiritual Road

Education, Homeopathy, Hypnotherapy, Philosophy, Spirituality, Steiner
Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right
Am I on the right spiritual road or not?
Who knows?
Who cares?
Somewhere along the road, the tradition that I was brought up in lost its relevance. 
It may come as a great surprise to some that know me, that at 13 I wanted to emulate a great aunt and don the habit. At 16 I was reading the Golden Bough, encouraged by teacher at school who seemed to understand my search for meaning. At 21 I was debating the finer points of Gospel with the door to door “God Botherers”, inviting them in for lengthy discussions. Having read the King James Bible from cover to cover a couple of times is a definite advantage. Reading the Koran, parts of the Bhagavad Gita and study of the various branches of Buddhism across Asia at University didn’t make for comfortable conversations in the suburban mother’s club or my previous friendship circle.
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs
Over the years, the roads to organized religion and spirituality diverged. The exploration of spirituality beckoned and the first stepping stone along the road was Reiki. Before I really knew what it was, a colleague at a Catholic school put her hands on my shoulders one afternoon. My blood felt like it had turned to lemonade – tiny, sparkling bubbles of furious energy rising to the top of my head and beyond. It was a defining moment and the next few years were spent in practical applications of Reiki.  Apprenticed to an old style teacher, I progressed and grew through the different levels. A long suppressed intuition began to emerge, but not without growing pains. Dreams became more vivid and the messages within them sometimes quite challenging. A more tangible reminder of the pain was falling down the garden stairs and snapping a ligament which stopped me from taking classes with an artist, who had been recommended by my teacher. I found out just recently that he is very involved in a cult called “The Family”. Quite literally stopped from going down that particular path!

Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.
So here I am, stuck in the middle. Still looking at organized religion on one side and spirituality on the other.

Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
And I’m wondering what it is I should do,

I have friends of many faiths who seem able to accept their religion without question and I yearn for this simplicity. I have faith, I feel it, but it’s not tangible.
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
Continuing along the stepping stones, one step at a time. Exploring Christianity further and taking Confirmation lessons. Berated by the local Vicar for having pagan books and idols in my house. He suggests that the books on Buddhism, Islam and Judaism are to go. He is horrified that I have entered pagan temples and have Buddhist and Hindu art on my walls. Intuitively I step away and the next stepping stone is labelled Steiner education. This one resonates with me, but only for a while. How wonderful it is to see the education of the child as a whole person, nurtured and all the creative gifts brought out. Four years of evening classes that stimulates the mind and heals my own inner child. Then one evening, one of the instructors, a young man, tells the class he is a Nazi. My heart freezes.

Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,

Later, another lecture on how civilizations and societies grow to their peak and then fall. I see that there are people clinging just as rigidly to the principles of this education system and in denial about some aspects of modern life.  I know it is time to move on, take another step along the road.
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

The next stepping stone awaits.
An interest has grown out of the Steiner studies and I explore the world of Homeopathy. 

The search for an individual remedy to match the overall symptoms of the patient is like a giant jigsaw puzzle. The remedies are tested on humans to produce the symptoms of illness. The modern medical profession deride the philosophy and bray about “evidence based research”, forgetting that in Hahnemann’s time they used bloodletting to cure fevers and poisoned their syphilitic patients with Mercury. Hahnemann’s theories about hygiene proved to be correct and are now adopted as sensible practice.
Three great friendships formed along this pathway and sadly only one survives. The first friend to go was one I went into practice with. He took his own life with homeopathics and I stopped seeing clients.  The second friend died just recently and luckily the friendship with the third is still strong, but there was a moment when I thought it might be me checking out of this life earlier this year.
Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please…. Please…..
Moving in and out of formal education forms the next series of stepping stones. Suffice to say that my sojourn in the education system is pretty much over. At least I gave it my best shot! 
Having a child that was diagnosed as ADHD puts a whole different perspective into being both a teacher and a parent. My teaching seemed to gravitate towards this group of students who were square pegs in round holes. 
Fortunate to assess and work with students and adults labelled with learning difficulties for 18 months gave me a new skill set to take back into school. 
At first it felt like I was home. 
Teaching was enjoyable, but the staff politics poisonous.
Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
The next stepping stone was a re-exploration of Christianity. I ended up teaching religious education as well as Japanese. Even though the school espoused Christian values, behind the scenes there was very little honesty, love or charity. One of the risks of living in a house perched on the side of a steep hill is lots of stairs. Another trip down the stairs and another ligament, however I ignored this as a sign to change direction and continued on.  I was promoted and asked to re-write the curriculum and did so, but the toll on my emotional and physical health as a result of the intense bullying in the department was too much. The day before school was to resume, I resigned and never went back.
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you,
Stuck again on the spiritual road, another stepping stone presented itself to make the way forward easier. A friend had started up a Hypnotherapy college, would I be interested in coming along for an introductory course?
Why not? I was in the process of putting myself back together and came to the conclusion that this may just uncover the causes of my dilemma with spirituality and religion. In the meantime, I had been offered a position in an Islamic school, which I declined mostly because of my feminist views about the headscarf.  The Hypnotherapy course was over too soon and I discovered that my fellow students also held similar spiritual beliefs. I stayed on and did the Diploma and am finding that the more I work with my own subconscious, the more comfortable I am becoming with my spirituality. Another prod from my Reiki teacher to encourage me to become ordained in her Independent Christian tradition. I nearly did it. Just at the last minute, I bailed out. Couldn’t do it. The faith is there, the belief in something is there, but it’s not strong enough to bind me to that tradition.
A brief stint of eighteen months at a small government primary school gave me a positive experience to finish my teaching career with. Smooth stepping stones to pave the way to a different life. Another stepping stone was training in Past Life Regressions and my own regressions have been a shining light as to why I haven’t embraced organised religion.  Yet another stepping stone along this richly paved road has been my Coaching studies. What a plethora of intellect, talent and people open to change! Some amazing people with strong faith in their various religions.  I have a touch of envy, as it seems to be so easy for them to accept. Friends with some, observers of others, and the gifts so readily given have helped me to learn so much more about myself on this stage of the journey. I wonder if I can give back equally. I am grateful for all that has been given so generously.
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
Stuck in the middle with you.
Yes, I’m still searching.
Not so stuck, because I know there is faith and it’s within.
Lyrics by Stealers Wheel.

Beginnings & endings

Coaching
“The time has come,” the Walrus said, “to talk of many things”…………..
“But wait a bit” the Oysters cried, “before we have our chat; for some of us are out of breath and all of us are fat!”
This has been a week to catch my breath and I have been given a wonderful opportunity to review so many things, for which I am very grateful. Whilst thinking about gratitude, a few key people come to mind.
New friends in particular and I am touched by their generosity of spirit after having been through some difficult times.
The past few years have been a turning point and having made the decision to leave the formal education system at the end of 2010 and strike out on my own has been a decision that I have not regretted even though there have been some personal challenges in the first part of this year.
As the advertisements for the Northern Territory (one of my favourite destinations) says – ” You’ll never, never know if you never, never go”.  And this year has been all about that – exploration.
A pro-bono coaching contact has turned into a joint venture exploration of the soul and workshops for like minded people.
New networks have been formed with some amazing women, who are all on their own journeys and all at different stages.
There is an abundance of giving and sharing which has contrasted sharply with some of my previous experiences in schools.
Such a rich and varied group of talented people have crossed my path since letting go of trying to conform to the education system and not be the person I really am. I am slipping that “Japanese mask” off, and  like a chrysalis shedding its case and emerging as a butterfly, once the wings dry, I look forward to flying……
In the process of letting go and learning new ways, some old friends have disappeared & that’s OK.
There is a wonderful poem about having people in your life for a
Reason, Season, or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.
When someone is in your life for a REASON,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support; to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. 
Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person, and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
— Unknown

This last week has been one of intense review.
I have to say quite bluntly that I was scared.
Fear in bigger than capital letters screamed from every pore and cell of my body.
Scheduled to have a cardiac ablation, I was close to cancelling the procedure several times. The cardiologist I had seen weeks ago, had referred me on to another one and feelings of being abandoned came up. The symptoms persisted as I continued to battle with trust issues as well.
The day of the procedure was like a textbook glossary of stress symptoms.  All the symptoms were there – dry mouth, stomach in a knot, digestive issues…..all well known as this is the basis of my talks! Ha! living it now!! Being last on the list didn’t help much either. Eventually the anaethetist came for a chat and to administer pre-op relaxants. At this stage, I had pretty much convinced myself that I had worked myself up into a ‘state’ and it was all in the mind, panic attacks or anxiety and I could have been at home…..

The cardiologist arrived and explained the procedure and I handed over my heart to this magician and went to sleep…… I had some great dreams on the way back, but forgot them when they told me that they had found some rogue circuits and sorted them out.
So how to reframe all of this?
Plenty of time to think about it in the four hours when I had to lie perfectly still after coming back to consciousness.
What an opportunity to start a new and positive chapter!
Literally take the ablation of the heart as a burning out of old patterns and resentments and put all that no longer serves – aside – permanently.
It is a new season and some things or people will be here and some will not. It is a time to let unhelpful pathways grow over and regenerate, and in particular let the old wounds and resentments be healed by cauterization.
Above all, it is important to use this time to nurture body and soul so that I can continue my journey in the company of some truly beautiful people.
To those who have supported me, heartfelt thanks.
For some others, thankyou for the season that we have spent together and for a few, thankyou for the reason that we connected, acknowledge the gifts we exchanged between our souls and realize that it is time to move on.

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