Friday, October 30, 2009

You'll meet a...

Last night I did something that I haven't done in about 20 years - I had my Tarot cards read. I did it with an open mind, or even something bordering on scepticism.

Let me tell you, it was very very strange.

Every card turned was described to me with a level of detail that leaves me stumped as to an explanation. These weren't vague "tall dark stranger" type statements that you could interpret how you chose. These were physical and character descriptions of very real people and very real situations in my life. I would not have been surprised to have been told their shoe sizes!

The reading didn't try to tell me my future or what I should do but it did give some insight into situations that are unfolding around me. Whether you believe in the cards or not, whether you think it is magic or the power of the unconscious, it was a very interesting experience. And I know that one theory is that the reader uses "cold reading" to create the illusion - but in this particular case I am certain that it was not the case.

Hmmm...

Monday, October 26, 2009

Be the gardener in your life

This morning I have worken up with an extraordinary sense of calm, peace and clarity. It is as if through my dreamings I have been blessed with a vision of the true workings of the influences that have surrounded me through the last months of my journey and through that understanding has come joy.

My personal growth over the last months has been on fast forward. If you haven't met me since the start of the year, there's a good chance that you won't recognise me - not just because my physical presence has changed radically, but because my very being is different. I have moved at full speed from being someone crushed, confined, and losing their very being to being full of positive energy, confidence and excitement at what the world has to offer. It is obvious that I haven't made this journey entirely alone, and I have to thank those people who have spent their time to help me to heal my soul.

However, people are flawed. All of them. Some acknowledge their flaws and seek to minimise their effect on others. Some glory in them and use them for their own good. You can be damaged by those last ones if you aren't psychically strong. You can take the negative energy they employ and have it crush your soul. But don't ignore the positives they also bring - because nobody is all good or all bad, and if someone helps you to find ways to grow you should give thanks.

So my clarity today is about not making someone else's behaviour or intentions personal. It is about how your teachers do not have to be perfect, and finding that they are damaged themselves does not invalidate the growth you have made yourself. In fact it can stimulate greater development and insights.

For a long time I have held onto the belief that you can only attain good things when the other person's intentions and actions are from pure motivations. No matter what objective good comes from it, if later you were to find that they were behaving from less noble intentions, then the good gained would evaporate.

Not so. The fact that good can come from negative energy is so exciting and reassuring to me. The universe wants to bestow good things on us, it wants to bring us to our higher selves. Whether you believe in God, Goddess or just yourself - be inspired today by knowing that the lessons you take from even the most corrupt teacher are still lessons you have learned. And if you can recognise the truth of what they are and still hold on to your own peace and contentment, then you have moved beyond them. People enter our lives for the season in which we need them. Acknowledge the good that that relationship gave you, accept your new understanding of the dynamics - and step into the next phase of your glorious life.

Be like a gardener who uses manure to feed the flowers!

Friday, October 9, 2009

Proud to help a great cause

A good friend of mine announced recently that he is taking on an amazing challenge to raise money for Stoke Mandeville Hospital's spinal unit. It is a cause close to his heart, after they successfully treated his son's spinal injury.

Gary will be cycling around 400 miles across Vietnam next year - now that it impressive! Personally, I hate cycling. I always feel scarily exposed to traffic and loathe it. (Did you think it would be the physical exertion part that I hated? Shame on you!)

I am helping to raise money for the cause by donating a percentage of any sales made at specially organised shoe parties. It's not as challenging as the cycle ride, but hopefully we can raise a great deal for Stoke Mandeville. If you would like to donate, get in touch and I'll pass on your details.