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Thank you for reading my
Newsletter… Ten years
ago, I would write a newsletter every 3 months.
It has been some time since I wrote the last one, but in the future I
will post regular articles to the website instead of photocopying, folding and
stamping. Times… they are achanging and so are we. Tension and problems only arise when we
continue to hang on when we know we have past the use-by date. I’ll begin
with the light hearted latest news; always keeping in mind that light hearted
and happy can hold as many life lessons as dark and dreary. I have
just returned from EVERYTHING I NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT LIFE I HAVE LEARNED FROM FEET I was
invited by someone in the Reflexology Association to be guest speaker for a
monthly meeting. I was asked to speak
about my journey and how reflexology had been a part of it. “Journey” talks can be a little boring, so I
thought I needed a fresh approach. I
decided to do it from a different perspective.
I liked the idea of “All I need
to know about life I have learned from …….”.
So I added the word ‘feet’ and the talk took form; but like always, I
went that one step further and got postcards printed to emphasis my point. All the
sayings are related to feet, soles or souls, stand, toes…. You get the idea. I enjoy
speaking in public, but with my Mercury (thought and communication) in Pisces
(vague and idealistic), I can sometimes jump around a lot and extend others a
little as I go. The
postcards are for sale over the internet. UNIVERSAL PREPARATION…… NO THANKS…I DON’T WANT TO DO
THAT…. And because
we don’t understand what is going on, we don’t co-operate When we
approach life from logic, it doesn’t always make sense. Let me tell you about a lesson in logic I
learned from my 3 year old grandchild recently while in minus degrees in As most
people would know when the temperature is -3° or -4° and especially when it is
minus 13°, it will be cold outside, no matter what the temperature of the house
is. Children
appear to live in the present moment; so why would a child want to put on 5 layers
of clothing inside a house when it is heated and the child is not cold? All that
clothing doesn’t make sense. He’s warm
and cozy. Have you
ever been in a position where the Universe has repeatedly been trying to
prepare you for something and you won’t take any notice and refuse to
co-operate. Have you
ever been in a position where you have said in retrospect “If only I had
listened to the clues?” In retrospect
the clues are so loud, you can’t miss them. The
Universe, God or our Higher Consciousness knows what is ahead, even though we
may not, and is trying to get us to put on those extra layers of clothing to
make the next part of the process of life more comfortable. Sometimes
we just have to become extremely uncomfortably (and for this example freeze)
before we listen to Guidance. Wouldn’t
our lives be more comfortable, flowing and content if we trusted that we are
being looked after by a Higher Power, and that everything is exactly how it is
meant to be, and some of the things that come our way that don’t make sense to
us are merely Wisdom in disguise. COLD WEATHER… -13° to +2° I thought
snow would be good fun. It was for about
48 hours, and then I was over it. It looked
so beautiful just after it had fallen.
Beautiful is not always practical. TALK ABOUT BEING LOOKED AFTER…. If you
need help, just ask. Arriving
at We had two
physical angels to help, one light bulb and something put in our pathway too
big to miss. By the
time we arrived in The As we
walked from the plane up the walkway into a sea of people in the arrival area
there was, parked right in front of me, an Emergency People Mover. My daughter didn’t see it, she just took
off. I knew instantly that if we were to
have any hope of making the next plane, this was the answer to my prayer. The vehicle would take about 12 people. Nobody was on it and the lady driver was just
sitting there…. Waiting for us… I was
carrying the baby and a lot of hand luggage.
I asked the lady driver “Was our situation a big enough emergency and
could she take us to get the other plane?”
All I knew about our next flight was that is was going to If a
person was easily embarrassed, this was not the place to be. The lady driver obviously knew how far we had
to go, and how quickly we had to get there.
She drove so fast through all those people it’s a wonder that she didn’t
knock someone over. I think her hand
stayed on the horn the whole time, warning everyone to get out of the way. She knew which Concourse to go to, but
stopped at the Departure Board to find out the gate number. When we got to the Gate, there was a very
quick visit to the toilet with the 3 year old.
When I got back to the Gate my daughter said that there had been an
announcement for the final passengers to board immediately or their seats would
be given away. People wait at the gates
with Stand-by tickets like vultures. We had
just made it. There is no way we could
have run the distance, even if we knew where we were going. “Someone” was looking after us. My worst nightmare, was to get this far,
after so long with the little darlings and miss the flight, with the
possibility of over-nighting in Revisiting
the event, as I write this, brings up more emotion that when I was actually in
the experience. Most probably a lot of
the emotion was suppressed at the time, simply as a coping mechanism; and when
it is triggered later, all of it comes up.
The over whelming emotion that is surfacing is gratitude for I know
Someone or some higher power is very close looking out for me. The only thing we have to do is ask for help. I see this
pattern happening often with people.
Emotions are suppressed and when they finally surface, they can come as
fury unleased. Let me
transgress for a moment…. I REMEMBER THAT Have you
ever heard a song and been taken back in an instant, through a memory, to an
event that is so real that you can almost smell the atmosphere and touch the
surroundings. I think we all have. I was
watching an Andrew Lloyd Webber concert on TV and the orchestra began playing
the overture from “Sunset Boulevard”. I
was immediately sitting in the 10th row of a London Theater. It was November 1995, and I was waiting for
the show to begin. I can remember how I
felt as I sat there that night and as the music began I said to myself “I am
going to love this”. I could remember
the clothes I had on, what I had done all that day, and getting in a London Cab
and going home afterwards. It’s
scarey how much we store in our subconscious and it only needs such a little
prompting for it to surface. It’s not
just the happy memories that we store, we keep the painful ones stacked down
there as well; and it takes so little to trigger either one. Ho’oponpono
teaches that I am responsible for everything in my life. I can create by listening to Divine Guidance
or dredging up an old painful memory and creating with that. When I am
prepared to accept responsibility for my creation, without judgment, and bring
love and gratitude to it, somehow it is transformed. “I’m
sorry, I love you” is a simple and effective response to something I would
rather not have manifest in my life. Who do you
say these words to…. I say them
to myself. I love you, my self, and I am
sorry for creating something from a past memory. I have
seen how these few simple words change lives. …Earth is crammed with Heaven And every common bush afire with
God And only he who sees Takes off his shoes The rest sit round it and pluck
blackberries… Elizabeth Barrett
Browning Heaven
whatever I deem it to be is all around me And
everything is a part of It The
negatives as well as the positives And when I
realize that all is perfect, over and above any personal value judgment I will bow
in respect to all creation And my
days of hapless wandering and searching for meaning and justification of self
will be left far behind. I may not
understand, but I will rejoice and trust in the perfection of all, I will
happily accept those who choose a different path to mine, for in my freedom is
the giving of freedom to others to simply be….. While I
must take off my shoes, I must
allow others to sit and pluck blackberries and know
that all is well…….. When I pay
attention I
recognize that the Universe is trying to communicate with me constantly Whether it
be to prepare me for something To let me
know help and support is at hand Or bring
me something great and wonderful. Earth is crammed with Heaven and
when I see it, blackberries aren’t important any more. I might get a few prickles in my
bare feet, but I won’t even notice the pain. BACK TO THE MEMORIES…. If you are
sentimental or a romantic at heart, and are old enough to remember “An Affair
to Remember” or more recently “Sleepless in I wanted
to see that famous scene at the top of the Remember
another old saying I heard in another movie years ago….. Nothing will ever match up to the
memory of such and such…. Not even such and such himself. Things are
never the way we remember them. Our
minds have the ability to canonize or demonize Besides
being nearly blown off the building on one side, it was a great view. NO COMPARISIONS… The only
measure we have of how far we have matured, grown, or advanced is to compare
ourselves to ourselves of the past. The
only person limiting me is me. Another
thing I did in Everyone
was so friendly. Maybe the ground floor
is more for tourists and the serious buyers are taken upstairs. Didn’t matter anyway. It was fun.
YOUR CHILDHOOD FANTASIES… EVERYONE
ONE OF THEM A little
trivia..... If anyone
ever wanted to relive some childhood fantasy, then The Disney Shop was the
place to visit. Every Disney character
every created, in what ever form you could image was there. From key rings, to games, to lollies, to
costumes, shirts. paintings, china statues etc. etc. etc. Three full floors of them. Of course the higher you went, the more
expensive the merchandize. GROUND ZERO I was asked
several times what it felt like to be there.
It’s like many other special places, there are so many tourists, it’s
not possible to connect with the essence of the place. One poster was particularly sad and I felt
the memorial to be erected was emotionally cold and separate. ONLY IN I must
tell you quickly about the basket ball game.
It was at a huge stadium filled with home team supporters hoping for
victory. I expected some sort of
entertainment at half time and I wasn’t disappointed. There were two mats put down side by side,
about 100 meters long. One end had a
shelf about 30 centimeters off the ground that held a ball. The team was at the other end. The team being 4 dogs that would race up to
the ball, grab it and bring it back so that the next team member could go. That was fun enough, followed by the dog team
racing the people team. Of course there
was a band with four huge tubers doing there own thing in the middle of the
stadium floor, gymnasts standing atop of each other to 4 levels, and of course
the cheer squad. I could
understand all of this for half time, but for time out. Not quite as bad, but I had to wonder what
was wrong with a few minutes TIME OUT for everyone. Right
judgment is no judgment is allowing. I was disappointed
to see large numbers leaving when it was obvious that the home team wasn’t
going to win. What happened to the
genuine old fashioned love of sport.
Maybe winning has just become all too important. HOME SWEET HOME… SO WHAT’S DIFFERENT…….. It was a
week before my grandson’s 3rd birthday and I wanted to buy him some
presents. I had to get him something
from his great grandmother and great aunt as well. We went to a shopping Mall. The only covered one in Their food
has so much added sugar; no wonder obesity is a major health issue The taxi
door didn’t close properly, the seat belt didn’t do up, the boot (sorry trunk)
was so full of personal junk we could hardly put the pram in. Couldn’t
purchase over-the-counter pharmaceuticals that are readily available in The mail
box is next to the front door and the postal clerk comes right up and puts your
mail in it. Guess it’s
like everything else in life: when you expect it to be done your way, or the
way it’s always been done, or the way you are used to……. you’ll be
disappointed. Harmony is
found in…. right judgment Right judgment
is no judgment No
judgment is acceptance Acceptance
embraces gratitude…… the path of peace and harmony WHOEVER SHOWS UP IS ME… Whoever or
whatever shows up in my life is an expression of some part of me. If I refuse to accept it as such, then I can
be sure that it is a part of me that I disown.
On some level of my consciousness I am giving permission to another to
bring this part of my disowned self to my attention; to accept and heal. We fall short in this exercise as most times,
we tend to judge the other person or the circumstances as good or bad. Judgment will put us off track. What we
have to realize is that when someone arrives who we don’t like, we are well
able to deny any connection whatsoever to the self. But there always is. If I
believe a theory, then I believe it. I
don’t believe it if I like the result, and reject it when I don’t like the
results. If I believe something then I
begin at that point and try to figure out what is actually happening. So
believing that I am responsible, whether consciously or unconsciously, for
everything in my life, I look at the person who is “pressing every button I
have”, and know that there is a connection between the two and it’s not by
accident. I look for the core issue that
both people share. The core issue will
be the same. The expression of the core
issue will most probably be different. For
example: Someone in
your life may be angry, aggressive and always yelling. You don’t yell and
scream, so how is that person reflecting you.
The angry aggression is only the expression of a core issue. The core issue could be lack of discipline. Once I
get to the core issue, then I need to look at where in my life I either lack
discipline or I am rigid and unbending. Maybe the
boss is rude, a bully and manipulative.
The core issues might a feeling of
powerlessness, so he has to control others to feel secure. You may not be a rude bully but as quiet as a
mouse. You might have to look at areas
in your life where you have allowed others to take control. You may need to stand in your own power. You may
have someone who is always telling you what to do; a person who knows the best
way you should do everything. The core
issue here could be an overwhelming sense
of responsibility. You may not tell
others what to do, but you may be overwhelmed by guilt and responsibility that
you carry for others or be totally irresponsibly on the other hand. You may
find someone who does not appreciate your efforts and all you do. Core issue appreciation. You may not love and appreciate yourself. The core
issue is the same. The expression of it
will be different. I CAN’T PROVE WHAT I BELIEVE… I can’t
prove what I believe is true. Nor can I
prove a lot of what I say is true. But at
this time in my life, it works for me. What I
believe brings me peace of mind, good health, and a lifestyle I am happy with. When I
want to expand any area of my life, I have to seriously look at what belief I
am holding on to that is limiting that area and work on it. And ‘working on it’ could be as simple as
acknowledging it and releasing it. My basic
beliefs… My belief
in God or a higher power hasn’t changed but my concept of that Higher Power/
God has. I am
responsible. I have created everything
that shows up in my life, either consciously or unconsciously, often through a
complex inter-connected web to many others. Good and
bad are relative as they belong to an individual’s personal value system. Right and wrong fit into that same category. Beliefs
are things you can change. Even if you
have held a belief for many years, it can be changed. Changing
your beliefs will change your life. What you
believe you think about. What you
think about with emotion you create. If I
believe that parachuting is dangerous and there’s a good chance that I might
kill myself, then I most probably will never jump. But as I gather more information and realize
it is safer than I thought, it is quite possible I will change my mind about
the sport and try it. What I believe
about parachuting has changed. So it
follows that how I think about it will change and the natural flow from that is
… how I respond will change also. Hope you
found something of interest, something to inspire and encourage you or make you
laugh. |
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