Grand Conjunction

Astrology, Solstice, Summer, ,

Certainly a once in a lifetime experience as the Grand Conjunction of Saturn and Venus came together at the Summer Solstice. Mixed feelings as the clouds increased and the heavens opened with a heavy downpour at the very time that this Grand Conjunction of planets was to take place. As I sat there after my meditation contemplating the rain, it occurred to me that this in itself was a cleansing – particularly for Melbourne after months of lockdown.

This afternoon, in between showers, I ventured out into the garden. The light was that soft golden light that comes after the rain……. delicious! A little flash of white movement caught my eye and the tiniest butterfly alighted onto a nearby bush. I had my phone with me, and as happens so often as soon as I went to take a photo, a light breeze sprang up. I waited and then…… the planets aligned and I took the photo!

Grand Conjunction butterflySuch a delicate creature and it stayed there after I sent it some Reiki to let it know that I wasn’t a predator.

What a wonderful metaphor for this time of change! Many astrologers have predicted that this is a time of great spiritual awakening and change.

What better to represent this than a butterfly? It has spent time as a caterpillar – probably not the most attractive sight – gone into “hibernation” in its cocoon (as we did during lockdown) and emerged as this beautiful creature. Eyes wide open and antennae picking up what’s new.

Metaphysically, the butterfly is the symbolism of transformation, spiritual rebirth and we are already changing the way we live, work and play as a result of the global pandemic, political changes and a sense that we need to renew our connection with nature. It is also said that when a butterfly appears, there are angels nearby ready to help you should you ask.

So, are you still evolving in your cocoon and that’s OK as you spiritually prepare for what’s coming, or are  you ready to spread your wings after this Summer Solstice?

 

Ending and Beginning

Goal Setting, , ,

A timely post – seeing as I haven’t posted for some time. Tonight’s Full Moon in Gemini is a time of letting go of the old to let the new come in. In Victoria we have had 100 days + of lockdown and no new COVID cases for some weeks, so we’ve certainly had time to audit what is working for us and what isn’t. A Full Moon is time for ending and beginning something new.  It’s about being aware of what we can release,  let go and what we can look forward to in the coming months. For me, it has been a time of both ending and beginning – just as Victorians ended lockdown, I began my own extended time of “lockdown” with a broken lower leg. Another 6 weeks of keeping pretty much to myself and physically restricted from moving about or driving.

I had kept myself busy during the official lockdown with my Art Therapy studies and am pleased to announce that I have completed these and will be offering some Art Therapy workshops in 2021 as well as a new Stress Management range of workshops.  A wonderful ending and beginning!

So what will I be doing later this evening as the Full Moon rises? After I’ve put my crystals out to bathe in the moonlight, I’m going to meditate and then journal on what I want to bring into fruition over the next few months. Then let go of any baggage around the last few months.

This can be as simple as taking a clean sheet of paper and writing down – in dot point or single words – what it is that no longer serves you. When your list or paper is full (& mindful of fire restrictions for your area) – set a match to it and burn it …. offering it up to the Universe to deal with. Put the cooled ashes onto your garden or a pot plant to return them to the Earth.

Once done, have a shower/take a bath/have a swim/splash water on your feet or face. This symbolically washes away the emotions that you have attributed to these things.

If you did a New Moon intention, look back over that and see what has already manifested and tick it off. In the New Year I will be running Vision Board workshops that go a little deeper and will help you to develop a regular plan to bring in abundance.

Heavens Above

Coaching,

We all know about Mercury Retrogrades….. things like electrical equipment go awry with no explanation….. but have you heard of Mars Retrograde? – Retrograde means to appear to go backwards. I hadn’t considered how this may have implications to our daily lives until I started to do some reading about it. The reason a Mars Retrograde isn’t more commonly known is because it doesn’t happen as regularly as the Mercury one. For instance there isn’t one at all in 2021, which could be a good thing as I think we might just be over any astrological triggers for 2020.

I’m not an astrologer, but from the articles I’ve been reading we are just about to enter a period where Mars goes retrograde. September 9th 2020 to November 13th 2020. Rather than paraphrase the articles I have read, this one seems to be the most comprehensive and includes towards the end how it affects your sun sign and your ascendant.

Against the backdrop of the Stage 4 COVID lockdown extension, I thought that this is  an interesting time to be entering into.  Social media is running hot with a myriad of views and conspiracy theories and it seems that there is a “my way or the highway” attitude to having an opinion.

The article suggests that during this Mars retrograde,

“We might stew in anger at times, not finding a direct or straightforward channel for releasing it. This is a time for really getting in touch with what we’ve been accepting on the surface of things, but that has been building inside as emotional slush.”

There are many ways to get in touch with and deal with that “emotional slush” and I have found the combination of applying Emotional Intelligence coaching with hypnotherapy to get to the root cause is the most effective way.

[Contact_Form_Builder id=”8″]

The Stress Response

Life balance, , , ,

In these challenging times I have been able to work with several groups (online) and deliver workshops that explained the stress response. Participants received tips and strategies for managing stress.

After delivering these Stress Management presentations some participants have asked for copies of the slides. I have a conundrum…..to share or not to share – that is the question. There are polarizing views about slide sharing. One is if you have put up a presentation, then they are in the public domain and should be freely shared. At the other end of the spectrum the viewpoint is that the slides are secondary to the actual presentation.

After a recent presentation some participants shared slides, regardless of permission, that they saved by taking screen shots. With this in mind, I am going to share some of the graphics here, taken from a variety of presentations alongside some of the commentary I used.

Managing stressThe stress response is elicited when we realize that we can’t control events. When this happens, we can often start to feel anxious.

In turn this can lead to a cascade of other emotions or behaviours.

Clearly  we need to have the appropriate tools and strategies to manage this response. Subconsciously our nervous system is on high alert as we look out for the risks in our environment.

Currently, many people are experiencing  fear regarding either their or a loved one’s health with the end result of the flight/fight or freeze stress response.

One of the first things I suggest is to develop a regular deep breathing session which helps to dampen down the effects of the stress response. Wearing a mask can anchor your emotion to your subconscious mind.  Therefore it is important to spend a few moments in deep breathing after removing your mask, so that you minimize your stress response.

managing stressThe next step is to acknowledge the problem and then to view it from a new perspective.

By understanding the phases that we go through during times of change, we can come to a degree of acceptance.

This is similar to the five stages of grief that Elizabeth Kubler Ross wrote about in her groundbreaking work in 1969. Another helpful strategy is to use a Gratitude Journal. 

The stress response causes various hormones to be released in our bodies. The most well known are adrenaline and cortisol. These are released in response to a fearful or dangerous situation. Long term stress can impact upon your health. Stress lowers your immunity, increasing blood pressure and has an impact on your digestive system.

This is why it is so important to have strategies that you can use automatically when faced with a stressful situation. However, not all stress is bad. There is a flip side.  Eustress – when this is experienced, you get a flood of what I like to call “stress managementhappy hormones”.

By making sure you take time to look after yourself – remember when we could fly and the pre-talk was about using the oxygen mask for yourself first?

Meditation, being out in nature, exercise, eating healthy foods and love and laughter are all key elements how you can get these “happy hormones” and manage your stress response.

 

[Contact_Form_Builder id=”8″]

In the cards

Abundance, Focus, , , , ,

Prompted by using a retro post for social media, I decided to take a peek at what is in the cards for me at the moment regarding my business. Covid has meant no face to face consultations and as we move to more on line interaction, some facets of business – not just mine – will change for ever. So what was in the cards for me today?

I used the same oracle card deck as before – The Ascended Masters by Doreen Virtue and drew four cards, as one fell out with the last one. The cards were:

  • Stay Focused – always an apt  card for me – ” A reminder to stay focused on your intentions, desires and priorities. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by short term situations, dramas or other people’s demands”. A timely reminder that I have been procrastinating about finishing an assignment for my current studies!!
  • Purification – this one puzzled me until I read further….”This could be a signal to purify your motives and intentions so that they are purely about service and not about fear or competition…… Or it could simply mean adjusting your life so that all of your actions are in integrity with your true beliefs”.
  • Flow of Prosperity – “Tap into your manifestation power by focusing on abundance instead of worrying about money. You have nothing to fear. A new flow of prosperity is supporting you and your loved ones.”  There’s that word “Focus” again!
  • Positive Change – “Your likes and dislikes have changed. and you’ve outgrown situations that once appealed to you. These are positive developments signalling your spiritual growth. Some of these situations are blessings in disguise, as they’re pushing you to make necessary and positive changes. You may feel pushed beyond your comfort zone in multiple areas of your life shift and flux, yet the universe always stands ready to support you  with whatever you ask for. Let go and enjoy this ride, because it is truly for the best. An additional meaning for this last card was to let go of procrastination – which certainly ties in with the earlier reminder in the cards.

Discounted

lessons learned

DiscountsRecently I had planned a series of workshops to offer to a local community at a heavily discounted rate to my usual hourly rate. I used the rationale that if I worked on getting discounted Emotional Intelligence sessions out into the local community during these difficult times, then I would be contributing to a grassroots movement in thinking in a more emotionally intelligent way.

Unfortunately, with an increase in COVID infections, no face to face presentations could take place, but I was still willing to offer the 6 session workshop online. I was a little disappointed to receive the news from the venue that they had got feedback from their community that the discounted price point was too high. This got me to thinking…. do people not value what is delivered online, when the preparation is as great – if not more – than a face to face presentation?

Don’t get me wrong – I do give my time freely to various charities and not for profit organizations, but when I was offering a heavily discounted rate and for it to be suggested that it was still too much…. I cancelled.

What I have to offer is worth more.  For each hour of a presentation there are 6 or more hours spent in preparation. So for a 2 hour weekly presentation, I was going to be getting around $3 per hour/ per person. When I broke the figures down like this – I realized that  I was selling myself  and my mentors short – big time. I have realized that what I was offering is worth much more and will no longer be offering discounts like this.

 

Focus

A Balanced Life, Focus, ,

So here we are….. in lockdown #2 for Melbourne.  I’m actually not complaining as I have more than enoufocusgh to keep me busy with the distraction of Lucy the Labrador and studies that not only nourish my mind and soul, but will create a new focus in my business later in the year. It’s a well known adage that what you focus on, you will find. If you have ever been shopping for a new car and decided on the make and model, then you will most likely start to see these more frequently. Likewise, if you start to focus on negative things or calamities, then you will most likely start to see or experience these things too.  I know a person who constantly expects the worst of people and businesses that they buy from and you can guess  what they create.  Vehicles that  break down or have defects,   dream holidays that turn into nightmares (& litigation) .. the list goes on….

In regards to the current situation, I certainly don’t want to minimalize the seriousness of the situation, but if the precepts of the Buddha are applied, then a positive outlook will support  you at this time.Imagine your good health (& take appropriate steps), keep in regular contact with like minded, positive souls to check in and buoy your spirits, reach out to those who you think might be struggling and offer some time to listen and affirm how they are going.

Let me explain…. if you are fearful – then you are in a stress response. Your stress hormones will signal  – and animals are sentient to this – your current emotional state.  Are you in  flight, fight or freeze mode?

Your imagination can create any amount of scenarios – good, bad or catastrophic.  By regular meditation/visualization/hypnosis- whatever you want to call it, you can create in your imagination a better or positive future, which your subconscious mind (like a 2 year old) will think is your current reality.  Imagine feeling good more often than feeling fear – you still need to to be sensible about precautions around social interactions.

 

 

Distraction

Abundance, balance, ,

It’s been a while since the last update but I do  have a legitimate distraction…. I started studying just as the first lockdown started and have regular assignments to complete. A bit of a backstory to the area that I’m studying in first….

At High School I did Art and my art  teacher was very understanding, letting me hide out in the art room when I should have been in a Japanese or French class. I’m sure they were also aware of home issues at the time and just let me find a space, but that’s another story. End of Year 12, results in and I was offered a place in the highly coveted Art and Design course at the Institute of Technology. Parental influence prevailed – because it would be a waste of time “because I would only get married and have children” – so off to the workforce. At the start of this year, a chance email came in offering  a chance to enrol in a Diploma of Art Therapy, just at the time I was tossing up whether to take on a training course.

Allowing my intuition to guide me (a novel idea) I signed up for the Art Tdistractionherapy course and have to say I am loving it. It is as much for me and allows me to have a second chance at what I set aside all those years ago. The distraction is not about the the course content as such. Each unit requires a portfolio activity with an image/art work to be completed as practice for becoming an art therapist.

Regardless of the assignments, each New Moon I record something in my vision journal. The New Moon in May coincided with an assignment to go beyond vision boarding but to create a ‘Scene Map’  of something as if it had already happened.

Just a few days after creating this image, I received a phone call from a rescue service that I have been registered with for over 4 years… “we have a dog… we know you were looking for a male dog…but…..” .. A meeting was set up and we met with Lucy. An interesting background and when we arrived for the initial “meet and greet” with the foster family- there she was looking out of the window as we arrived.

DistractionSo….. just a few weeks on ….. here’s Lucy! Just 2 years old – a teenager in dog years and a very affectionate nature. Before second lockdown, we were able to take her up to the retreat where she really enjoyed the wide open spaces to run and do “zoomies”.  In the city and in second lockdown she gets to go for twice daily walks. The two occasions she got to meet with grandchildren, she was overjoyed to be around little people and was exceptionally well behaved.  There are moments…. when she gets over enthusiastic about my socks or shoes that we are not in sync with each other but as we get to know each other our respective boundaries will be observed.

Leadership

A Balanced Life, Archangel Oracle Cards, Ascended Masters Oracle cards, ,

leadershipLeadership can be interpreted in many ways and that is very evident in the differing styles of leadership exhibited by our world leaders. Today I drew this card – Leadership – from Doreen Virtue’s Archangel Oracle cards. The writing on the face of the card suggests that it is time to lovingly guide others and comes at a time where I am about to return to face to face delivery of workshops.  In these workshops it is my intention is to inspire and guide others to learn more about how they can live with greater Emotional Intelligence.

I do enjoy the messages that the oracle cards can give me, and this one particularly resonates.

My oracle cards have been sitting quietly on the bookshelf for some time and having a good selection of them, I’ve decided to use them as a stimulus to create more regular blog posts.  You can look up the meaning given by the authors with Google, if you don’t have the deck yourself.  During this time of inner reflection I have also revisited several books, one of them being Sacred Contracts by Caroline Myss. The insights from that book have also been as valuable as the last time I read it.

.

Hibernation

clarity, extraordinary life, gratitude, , , ,

coming out of hibernationThe past few months have felt like an early winter hibernation, with a reasonably mild autumn here in Melbourne. Usually the winter months are when we seek to withdraw from the world and hibernate, but the recent world events have changed all that.

Self isolation and social distancing have become the new “normal” and it has been a wonderful opportunity to review what’s working and what’s not. Hibernation is a time of withdrawal after gathering together the summer fruits. During hibernation we can set the intent to release old, unhelpful beliefs and heal the old “stuck stuff”. Meditation will help you to re-evaluate and move into a new and better vision for the future. Choosing to be grateful for what you have also helps you to be open to even more.

Hypnotherapy will help you to release those stubborn, subconscious blocks that you didn’t realize you had. This is a time of opportunity to create new ways of thinking, not only for yourself but in the wider community. It can be difficult at times to know where to start, but all you need is the kernel of an idea. Much like an acorn, with the right environment and nourishment, it will grow into a mighty oak. This could be the start of something big for you too.