Living in a World of Unprecedented Change

There is a quiet unease many of us are feeling today. Something is shifting, and even if we cannot fully explain it, we can sense it.

We are living in accelerated times. As scientist E.O. Wilson once observed, we carry paleolithic emotions, operate within medieval institutions, and wield godlike technology. The race to build the most powerful AI is only one expression of this acceleration. While the future we imagine has not fully arrived, we are already living with its consequences.

Our consciousness and biology are struggling to keep page.

Mental health disorders are rising. Chronic illness is widespread. Energy, political, and economic instability are mounting. Climate change is alarming. Beneath all of this, more and more people are beginning to question something deeper.

The meaning of their own existence.

As above, so below. As within, so without. The rapid advancement of external technology is calling forth an equal and necessary evolutions within us. We are standing at the edge of a paradigm shift in human history, and there is a universal calling for each of us to become more than passive observers of our lives.

If you are feeling lost, confused, or desperate in these cathartic times, what I hope to offer here is not another answer.

I hope to start a conversation within you and with those around you. Through my own stories, I hope to reflect a universal human experience and offer a roadmap for the community by sharing some of the most valuable truths I have discovered.

Learning from Ancient Wisdom and Elders

I want to begin with something simple: you are not broken.

The world is not broken. What is broken is the way we have learned to see the world. You are a manifestation of the universe itself. How could you be anything less than a miracle?

This is not a dismissal of real pain. Some of us carry wounds. There are real crises and injustices unfolding in the world that could have been prevented. It is natural to want to help and to fix, to make things right.

For a long time, I believed that too.

Yet after more than twenty years on a spiritual and healing path, I have come to understand something deeper.
Trying to fix life is often futile.

Rachel Remen, a physician practicing integrative medicine, expressed this beautifully:

“When you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole.”

Buckminster Fuller deepened this further. He reminded us that real change does not come from dismantling what exists, but from creating something new that makes the old way no longer necessary.

My mentor Dr. Darren Weissman often says:

“Focus on where you are going, not what you want to get rid of.”

Over time, these were no longer just ideas. It is my life.

I was diagnosed with an autoimmune skin condition at five. At eight, I was told I would need medication for the rest of my life. By sixteen, I was bedridden.

What followed was a fifteen year search for healing across more than five continents and through over one hundred healing modalities. I learned from shamans deep in the forest and from medical grade technologies in the city.

And yet, at thirty, during COVID lockdown, I found myself bedridden again. Every resource I had relied upon vanished overnight and all external support disappeared.

It was in that space, when there was nothing left to hold on to, that something unexpected began to emerge.

Within ninety days, I experienced spontaneous healing. An innate spiritual wisdom that no book, teacher, or modality had ever given me began to rise from within. From that foundation, a prosperous business was born.

Instead of asking what was wrong with me, I began recognising what was right with me. That small shift changed everything.

It gave me the courage to persist through the darkest of times and helped me keep my heart open to love, light, and truth even in a world that can be unforgiving, intense, and overwhelming.

As the Gospel of Thomas reminds us:

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

When we access our own divine potential, that inner wisdom becomes the truest guide to the freedom we are seeking. This is what it means to co-create with the intelligence of life itself, allowing grace to move through us and as us, especially in unprecedented times.

When we neglect that potential, even our best strategies can become futile.

Coming fully alive is not about doing whatever we wish. It is the liberation of the soul from the confines of conditioning and self imposed limitation. Coming fully alive does not require a grand ambition or a lofty dream. It simply means being fully who you are, as your most authentic self.

As Howard Thurman and David Orr have each said in their own way, the world does not need more successful people. It needs people who have come alive.

Our greatest contribution to ourselves and to the world is not to fix it or save it.

It is coming home to who we truly are.

Learning from Mother Nature

The most radical action we can take to change our circumstances and our world is also the most ancient.

Andrew Harvey calls this sacred activism. It is where healing, leadership, and spirituality meet. It reminds us that our individual journeys are inseparable from the collective, and that our actions carry ripples far beyond what we can see.

I did not fully understand this until I encountered a natural phenomenon known as trophic cascading.

In 1995, gray wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park after many decades of absence. What followed was extraordinary.

Elk behaviour shifted. Vegetation recovered. Beavers returned. Even rivers began to change course.

Within ten to twenty years, an ecosystem that had been slowly declining began regenerating into a thriving, living world again. In human terms, ten to twenty years may feel long. In the lifetime of Earth, it is barely a breath.

There is something profound in this.

When a keystone species returns to its rightful place, the entire environment begins to heal around it.

I had seen this story portrayed before in The Lion King. Yet the truth of it resonated much more deeply when I had a direct experience in the bushveld of Timbavati, South Africa, where wild white lions roam.

At the end of 2018, I took a leap of faith and travelled there to participate in a leadership immersion experience guided by Linda Tucker.

What unfolded during that time was difficult to explain in ordinary terms.

The white lions were not safari attractions. They were conscious, majestic presences. We were invited to meet them not as spectators, but as students meeting teachers.

The indigenous people of the region regard the white lions as celestial beings who descended from the stars. They are seen as guardians and initiators who inspire creativity, courage and our role as stewards of the Earth.

While I was there, I witnessed something remarkable. The land where wild white lions roamed was alive and thriving. The land where nature had been commoditised appeared barren.

Something in me began to understand.

The leadership I encountered there was unconventional yet deeply spiritual.

We learned conflict resolution through loving presence.
We learned communication beyond language.
We learned to read energy.
We learned to use celebration as a catalyst for transformation.

Above all, one law of nature stayed with me.

Love and Respect.

This principle is so powerful that even a creature deeply wounded by betrayal can eventually soften, rebuild trust, and open its heart again.

I began to recognise this same truth reflected across many traditions.

It appears in Buddhist teachings on wisdom and compassion. It lives in the practice of metta, or loving kindness, which is said to move mountains and heal deep divisions.

It is also echoed in stories of Christ, whose mere presence was said to create miracles.

Throughout history, the same spirit can be seen in leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and the Dalai Lama. Like keystone species within ecosystems, they triggered a trophic cascade in human consciousness, leaving an imprint on the collective heart of humanity that time has not erased.

This is the leadership and healing revolution I believe is missing within many of us today.

The most inspiring part is this.

You do not need to be a saint to live it.

You only need to be willing. Willing to stand for a new way, to open your heart courageously, and to return home to who you truly are.

Imagine what becomes possible.

The Path to Coming Alive

A gentle unfolding from confusion to clarity, from fear to truth.

It is often within our wounds that we discover our deepest gifts. What follows is a pathway I have used to guide many towards greater freedom, inner peace, and wellbeing.

This journey is rarely linear.

At times it feels like moving in circles. At other times it feels uncertain, even uncomfortable. Yet with each step, something begins to shift within us.

Stage 1: The Spiral. Clarity
Yet within that confusion a quiet truth begins to appear. The life we are living is no longer the life we truly desire.

Clarity does not arise from answers. It emerges through awareness.

This stage is about gently unlearning what we have inherited and beginning to see life through our own eyes.

Stage 2: The Winding Path. Courage

With clarity comes a natural tension. We begin to sense the gap between the life we are living and the life we know is possible.

What often keeps us stuck is not a lack of ability, but the weight of unprocessed emotions that quietly hold us back.

When we finally face what we have been avoiding, something shifts.

Effort becomes aligned. And aligned effort becomes transformative.

Stage 3: The Unknown. Connectedness

Nothing truly changes until we take a leap of faith. That is not always comfortable.

Transformation rarely happens in perfect conditions. It unfolds in real life, often in moments where the outcome is uncertain.

Connectedness emerges when we bridge what we know to be true within ourselves with the world around us.

Stage 4: The Dotted Line. Consistency

This is where change deepens. And yet, this is also where many people quietly stop.

Consistency was not about forcing discipline. It was about devotion. It requires a shift from hustle to flow. Not to perfection, but to what truly matters.

Success is rarely shaped by grand intentions. Over time, these small choices begin to shape something much greater.

Stage 5: The Lotus. Conviction

In the end, what matters most is not what we achieve. It is who we become.

There comes a moment when we no longer rely on external circumstances to feel whole. At this stage, we are fully alive. We begin to feel anchored within ourselves.

From that place, something natural arises. A desire to serve, to contribute, and to support others in remembering what is already within them. This is how change begins to ripple outward.

Clarity, courage, connectedness, consistency, and conviction are all learnable skills. They are living expressions of love in action.

The path to coming alive is not sentimental or passive. It is radically honest.

Being healthy, whole, and complete has always been our true nature. The work is simply to create the conditions that allow it to be expressed.

What you hold here is not merely a philosophy. It is a way of orienting your life. A way of coming alive that allows the beautiful life we sense deep in our hearts to unfold.

The answer you are seeking has been within you all along.

A New Dawn Of Me

I Shine, a Star
A Light of the Divine
Rising, Honoring
My Light, My Soul, My Life.

Existing and Being
Perfect I AM
Being True, Being Joy
Being Me.

In Healing, I Give
In Gratitude, I Humble
In Life, I Ascend
In Heaven, I Soar.

In Light, I Honor
In Soul, I AM
In Love, I Be
In Faith, I Believe.

The Old is Gone
Rewards I’ve Reaped
A New Dawn for Me
The New Begins.

I Affirm
I’m Worthy
I’m Deserving
I’m Abundant.

I Flow
I Create
I Emerge.

A New Me
A New Dawn of Me
Awakening
I Become!

– Yeoh Lee Lee –

Meditation To Focus & Strength

Vol. 30

At work, you may be asked to adapt to sudden changes and more demanding bosses and clients. There could be job insecurity and a constant pressure to do more with less pay. At home, being cooped up with other family members with nowhere to go has become more and more stressful. Chances of having fights and arguments increase. There are few opportunities to be in your own quiet zone.

Your “fuse” has become very short and you get triggered easily. But what if you found out that the person who is triggering your emotion is also facing his own financial issues and insecurities just like you? Would you feel any different? Would you find yourself feeling some compassion and forgiving that person?

The key to a conscious shift is to avoid reacting in haste but to seek understanding of the situation first; then learning something useful from it. The shift may even start with consciously changing oneself from the inside.

There is a saying, “If you can’t change the outside, then change from the inside”.

With understanding and compassion, the way you see the situation will be different from how you saw it before. And when perspective changes, your action will change at the same time.

Doesn’t it feel good to contribute to a more harmonious environment whether at work or at home? Yes, definitely!

Meditation Steps

Let’s do the following simple meditation to bring you to a deep state of relaxation, release your worries and sadness, increase your focus and regain your strength to manage your daily life better.

Practice this meditation after waking up in the morning or an hour before going to bed at night. Drink a glass of water before the meditation.

It is best not to do this meditation when you feel exhausted because this meditation requires your focus.

Let’s begin.

Whenever you face any situation that drains you, move your focus to the point at the center of your brow and chest for a few seconds. Remember that you are understanding the situation and learning from it to bring wisdom and abundance into your life.

THE RECIPE TO MANIFESTING

I am a dreamer. Since I was a teenager, I wanted to travel around the world to experience life. I wanted very much to study abroad, however my family could not even afford to send me to study in Singapore. Then I got to know that my dad’s company offered scholarships for the staff’s children to study in United States of America.

The idea of applying for the scholarship gave me a little hope. The reason I said “a little hope” was because I was just an average student. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in the future. At that time it was very unusual for an average student to get a company to sponsor her studies abroad. But I didn’t give up hope. I studied hard, went to the library to borrow English books to improve my English.

Prayers & Hard Work

I prayed to Quan Yin, Buddha and all the Masters that came to my mind. I walked to the local temple daily to offer my prayers. I also started to visualize my life in overseas, the difficult as well as the fun stuff. How I would move about in winter, the kind of clothes I would wear, etc.

Despite my hard work, I didn’t do well in the SPM trial exams. I despaired. I didn’t want to give up my opportunity to study abroad. I asked around and was told that I could ask the school to provide a forecast of my SPM results, sit for aTOEFL test and a SAT test in order to apply for the scholarship. So I did all that I was supposed to do.

But I didn’t do well for the SAT and TOEFL test either. However, the teacher still gave me a good forecast and that motivated me to retake the SAT and TOEFL. By then, many of my friends had already secured their plans to study overseas and some had even started their classes abroad.

I became frustrated and started questioning the Masters but I didn’t give up. At that time I had not received the 500 marks for the TOEFL test, the requirements set by the university. I made a decision and told my mom that I wanted to go to Kuala Lumpur to concentrate on studying English. My mom agreed and I quit school to focus on studying English.

Heartbreak & Hope

One month later, I received a heartbreaking letter, the Foundation couldn’t offer me the sponsorship at that time, however they promised to put me on the waiting list. My mom was very worried about me because I could not go back to school as I couldn’t catch up with the syllabus. The only thing I did the only thing I could do which was prepare for my TOEFL exam. I had nowhere to go.

After 3 months, having completed the English course in KL, I went home. I remembered very vividly the day I received the second letter from the Foundation. When the postman shouted out my name, my heart pounded very fast and my hands trembled.

I opened up the letter that said they decided to offer me the sponsorship after all. After a few hours immersed in the feelings of happiness, I realized that there was another obstacle, I did not have an acceptance letter from any university yet! And the scholarship was only valid for that semester so if I didn’t accept it, I would lose my spot.

Persistence & Divine Timing

Furthermore, the closest TOEFL test that I had yet to take was at the end of August, which was too late for the September intake. Finally I managed to get help from one of my secondary school seniors who was studying in the same university I chose to apply to. He convinced the principal to accept me, provided that I made the 500 marks requirement, the next TOEFL exam. Needless to say, I made it.

So in one month’s time, I settled my visa, my two older brothers sponsored my air ticket, winter clothing and luggage. My Mom took out her savings for my other expenses. At that time, I didn’t know anything about concept of manifestation at all. All I knew was that I should never give up and keep on going.

Divine timing may not match ours, but I believe we can create our reality and I realized that when I made the decision to achieve my target, all the obstacles gave way. This is the most important ingredient in the recipe. Decide, make the choice.

Transforming Into A New You

Vol. 10

From Caterpillar To Butterfly

The process of change and transformation is always a difficult one. But just look at how a clumsy-looking caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly. How is it that such a great change can happen with so little effort while we humans struggle with change and transformation?

The Slow Descent To ‘Average’

We often get very comfortable with the status quo. After having taken some years to get to where we are, we decided to settle with it. After all, we now can do it with our eyes almost closed and we already know how to deal with the ups and downs that’s dealt out to us. There’s also that understanding of what makes the people around us tick and how to hide things under the carpet when necessary. Thoughts are kept close to our chest, and we shut up in order not to rock the boat.

Is there a niggling feeling somewhere deep inside of you that you have given up on your dreams? That the goal you wanted to achieve has also been swept under the carpet? Are you truly happy with who you are today? Are you at peace with the situation at home, work, extended family and friends and perhaps even with the world around you?

Growing up, there would have been huge ideals and visions of changing the earth, and being awash with power and success. Somewhere along the way, whilst trying to fit into the daily grind, we settled for the average. Settling means staying stagnant with our passion gradually fading away. That’s when chores and responsibilities feel like a ball chained to us. Over the years, this ball would expand exponentially, and its weight would wear us down.

Where You Are Meant To Be

One day, I finally realized who I was born to be on this earth. I shed tears of joy when I decided to honor myself by becoming that person. I needed to drop the part of me that felt low self-worth and who was trapped with immense resistance towards responsibility. I yearned to become someone with joy, freedom and love. And I wanted to share that with the world. This is my calling and passion. My body told me to bid goodbye to my old self. I had to transform.

When you decide on what it is that you want to be, you will find the strength to want to change. Having acknowledged the need to move on, that ball will become lighter and your heart will start to sing. So, boldly try the “6 Steps To A New You” given and begin your own transformation immediately.

Embrace The New You!

Remember this – you have to love the process. Don’t dread it. Act on them with joy as you begin changing, and change will happen. As my mentor told me, embrace transformation with love. Understand that the previous energy had served its purpose. Now let the butterfly soar!

6 Steps To A New You

1. Acknowledge The Need
First, acknowledge that there is a need to change. Without being conscious of this need, you won’t be inspired to move away from your comfort zone. Find some quiet time for reflection. Ask yourself if everything is going well and if you are very happy with your life. Are there areas which can be better? Are there things that you want to change? Do you have a deep desire to do it?

2. Make A List
Be honest with yourself. List all the things you want to change realistically without being too lofty. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day! Start in stages, with something achievable. Putting too much pressure on yourself could mean setting yourself up for failure even before you begin. Prioritize the items in the list, starting from the smallest to the biggest change to give you the confidence and build up the momentum of your transformation.

3. Intend With Full Commitment
Everything that you do in life must begin with the ‘right’ intent. Doing something with the right frame of mind and the right reasons will make things easier. The power and focus of intent can move mountains. With such power, any endeavor that you set out to do will start and end well.

Intention is when your entire being is aligned and synchronizes with your thoughts, attitude, behavior and emotions. What you need to change is something that you truly believe that you must achieve – with all of your body, mind and soul. Jump in with full commitment!

4. Let Go Of
Think about all the habits, thoughts and attitudes that have kept you back from your goals. List these down. As they no longer serve you, they have to be released. The old has to go before the new can come in.

Again, find a quiet space when your emotions are also quiet. Close your eyes and let the old habits pass through your mind. Acknowledge that they helped you in the past to become who you are today. So, thank them with love. You needed them then but it is time to send them away now. Wish the old you well and see them float away. Then have faith, trust and belief that it has happened.

5. Set Goals
Of course there has to be a goal. What do you want to achieve and become? What kind of habits and attributes will you need to fulfill the new you? Visualize and announce them to yourself. Tell all the cells in your body that you will do everything in your power to reach that goal. Then set out to work at it.

6. Take Action
Nothing happens if you don’t do anything about it. This is what all the gurus out there always expound. Imagine if you just sit in your old comfortable spot staying you will change but never take the actual steps. They will stay as mere daydreams. Don’t get me wrong. Daydreams allow us to see the big picture and fuel the passion. As they say, Leonardo Da Vinci did a lot of daydreaming to become the great artist and inventor he was. But he took concrete action after the dreaming. So if you need to wake up an hour earlier to start, do it! Read a new chapter everyday on the skill that you need to learn. Practice presenting yourself in a new light. Join a class to learn or relearn something.

With your goal in mind, you will find ways to act on it.

NAVIGATE YOUR LIFE WITH GODDESS GUIDANCE

The Wise & Wealthy Goddesses

Our Journey So Far

We have traveled a long way together since the first goddess series article published when we started our journey into the realm of the ancient goddesses. If you path has been anything like mine, then you probably wouldn’t recognize yourself as you stand at the last quarter of the year and ponder the lessons the year has taught and brought you. And as you stand at that very same place that you have stood at so many times before, what lessons will you take with you into next year, to use not only as your teacher but as your guide to live a wise and abundant life?

How do we live in a world that places value on external possessions and resources and not get caught up in wanting more, being more, having more? Can we see that it is an illusory trap set to lure us in, when we know very well that having 1,000 more followers, or those extra pair of shoes, won’t ever bring us lasting peace and happiness?

Wealth?

Some say that you are wealthiest when you can be grateful for what you have. Which means that wealth, normally defined as an accumulation of worldly goods, needs redefinition.

Because have you noticed how the financially wealthy are often desperately unhappy and insecure? While sometimes those with very little have the most gracious and generous attitudes and live a life of contentment?

Or Wisdom?

You can begin to see that material wealth without wisdom will not go a long way in sustaining a balanced, fulfilled life. For how often is it that big lottery winners land up a year or two later in the same financial woes they had before, possibly with even less to their names?

While not everyone has the same opportunity to access knowledge, everyone does have the opportunity and ability to access wisdom. It is the wisdom of the Higher Self that knows better. The Higher Self lives within each of us, but sometimes we need others to tell us that we can trust this voice of wisdom to guide our lives, so that we live our days feeling and doing enough.

Goddesses Of Wisdom & Wealth

Here are the wonderful goddesses who can help us when we need to tap into good fortune and be courageous enough to use it wisely!

Abundantia – Roman Goddess Of Fortune, Success & Prosperity

This Roman goddess is the ultimate representation of wealth and abundance. She is often depicted carrying a cornucopia filled with grains and coins; back in the day grain was a high value commodity to trade with. This also makes us consider how food and wealth have always been tied together as a status symbol.

This goddess is the perfect ally to call upon when you need help with saving or investing your money, or needing assistance with an increase in all kinds of prosperity. She can also be of help when in need of more time, opportunities or ideas. Keep your eyes open to find coins in unusual places, as it’s a sign she is with you and is ready to help grow your prosperity. She is also fondly known as “Lady Luck”, when with little effort good fortune smiles down on one.

Lakshmi – Hindu Goddess Of Generosity & Prosperity

This multi-faceted Hindu goddess is also known for her beauty and as a bringer of positivity.

Lakshmi can assist to improve your financial situation, and allows you to feel enough and not lacking in anything. When you feel like you are not good enough, or can’t find gratitude for the small things that bring fulfillment, or when you need to be more generous with your resources, call on this powerful deity. This is one of the reasons she is known as the goddess of generosity, as she always has enough time, patience, love and fortune to bless us all.

Inari – Japanese Goddess Of Prosperity, Tea & Rice

Inari, sometimes called Inari Okami is a complex Japanese deity worshipped in Shinto religion and appears in many different forms. As a goddess she is depicted as a young beautiful woman with flowing hair. She is also known as the Goddess of Nourishment, bestowing fortune and bounty on those who call upon her with pure intention.

While she is the patroness of farmers and merchants, she can help with any lack of growth in your life. If you feel abandoned, alone or unsupported, or you need more nurturing and nourishment, she can help you fill that space with positive life-enhancing ideas and experiences. In business endeavors she brings success and growth. Associated with the fox (some adherents carry a fox tail for good luck), you can visualize or call on this totem energy to connect with her.

Minerva – Roman Goddess Of Wisdom & Commerce

This Roman goddess is equated with the Greek goddess Athena, and is depicted with an owl – the sacred symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Again, she is multi-faceted in that she is also a warrior goddess and a goddess of trade and commerce.

When you need good counsel and practical advice, Minerva is the perfect goddess to call upon. She is connected with many mythological stories – Medusa, Hercules and Odysseus – bringing success and victory through her wise counsel and advice. She is also the deity to invoke when dealing with educational matters of learning or information. In weighing life decisions, she will assist with finding the wisest solution, when forethought and calculation are needed.

Seshat – Egyptian Goddess Of Wisdom, Intelligence & Writing

This ancient Egyptian goddess is also known as the Mistress of the House of Books and is both scribe and record keeper. She is credited with the invention of writing. Her intelligence covers the fields of mathematics, astronomy, surveying and accounting – so her knowledge base is expansive.

Seshat can help you formulate your plans and ideas and literally put pen to paper when you need help with your to-do-lists or when you are looking at the pros and cons of something. Her wisdom is not only relevant to this world, but she carries wisdom from other times and dimensions as she is thought to have access to the library of the gods – hence any spiritual or supernatural wisdom or advice can be sought from her.

If you have any writing projects, journaling ideas or budget sheets to put together she can help them come to life.

Sophia – Goddess of Sacred Spiritual Wisdom

While Sophia is not a conventional goddess, she is connected to several incarnations relating to the sacred feminine. She is central figure in Gnosticism – which emphasizes individual knowledge as the path to the Divine. She is often compared to the female aspect of the Christ consciousness.

This wise woman can help those searching for their path and purpose in life, and those who need to learn to listen and trust their inner voice and callings. She is particularly helpful when asking the big, deep questions about life and our place in it. Use her energy when going on any “spiritual” quest, or “dark night of the soul” experience. When you are going through any life changing experience such changing jobs, giving birth or the loss of a loved one, Sophia is the wise companion to guide you through.

Enriched With Wisdom

After examining each of these gifted deities and their qualities, I hope you feel encouraged to dig deeper into your own definitions and attitudes toward what wealth and wisdom truly mean for you.

Can you see that the year has provided for your needs, even if not always in the form that you would have liked?

For some people wealth is their children, for others it is their careers. But it remains true that a bulging bank account will do nothing to stop the terminal illness of a loved one, the ruin of reputation or the dark night of the soul.

Knowing how to act in certain situations by using your wisdom mind, can avert much hurt and conflict, rather than barging in and lashing out with the first thoughts you have.

What good is knowledge without a sound mind to live it every day? Reading about meditating and doing the meditating are two very different things!

The Abundant Life

So, wealth is not just about money and stuff, and wisdom is not just about doing another course or getting a degree. Yes, we need material things and money to live in this messy magical world, but we need so much more than that.

The ultimate meaning in life will not come from reading about it in a book or having some great public speaker inspire you for a few minutes. The meaning and mystery of your life will be revealed by living your experiences and then truly using them, in the wisest way to enrich not only your own life, but those of others too. There could be no greater wealth in the world than being able to sleep at night with a full belly, a full heart and a mind full of peace.

Gratitude

Thank you for joining me on this magnificent journey. Remember, you are never alone and are always guided, protected and directed by a loving, wise Divine Universe.

The Dragonfly And The Phoenix In The Sky

Vol. 24

My Lost Home

I lost my mother a few years ago and ever since then, I’d stopped laughing like I used to. The change was so subtle that I didn’t even notice my lost smile and laughter until much later. I still was socially active, fulfilled at work and enjoying the peace when alone in my own space. But somehow I felt something was missing, and that something was joy.

At the same time, I felt I no longer had a place that I recognized as home. Growing up, I had experienced home as a place where my parents were, where I could return to when I needed love and protection. Having lost Mom, I had lost my home…

The Dragonfly

A couple of months after my mother’s passing, a big red dragonfly sat on my bedroom wall. I had a beautiful flower-print wallpaper and the dragonfly was just quietly sitting there. I wondered how a big dragonfly like that could end up in my room where thick blackout curtains hang, making it virtually impossible for any critter or insect to get in, especially not when we are on the 7th floor of the building.

The dragonfly has been my all-time favourite insect since I was little. For me, this beautiful insect represents joy and freedom. A dragonfly is the only insect that I don’t mind having in my room.

That particular dragonfly on my bedroom wall that night reminded me of Mom… and only she would have known about my love for dragonflies. When I was about to fall asleep in my bed that night, I heard that dragonfly land on my pillow. Gently lifting up my pillow to the window, I watched as the insect flew off into the night. This event is especially memorable for me because of what it represents and I remember it to this day.

Mom

My mother had gone through many surgeries and had suffered much pain before she finally left. I witnessed all that as I had spent a lot of time being with her in those last days. Once, as I was changing the dressing on her wound, she asked me why she had to suffer so much in her life. I could not answer her, because I did not have the answer for her. In that silence, I could feel her and suffered her pain in me.

Trained as a Family Constellation practitioner, I learn that we as children carry our parents’ pain and suffering out of our fidelity and loyalty to them.

Unconsciously, I had not allowed myself to be happy if my parents were not happy. I understood that concept in my mind but somehow, I still could not regain the joy within. There was something deeper.

Healing Female Lineage

I too went through a surgery a year and a half ago. It was a minor surgery but due to complications, I had insomnia for a month which slowed my recovery process. I encountered many emotional challenges throughout my recovery, partly due to bouts of post-surgery depression. Mindful of what I was going through, I allowed the emotions to flow through me and reflected on them as they arose.

The most significant emotion I had felt was helplessness and the feeling of not being supported, especially from male figures in my life. THose who came to visit or help me through that difficult period were mostly women like my aunt and friends. That reminded me of my mother’s life as a housewife with a husband who was hardly around to provide physical and emotional support. Growing up, I watched Mom do everything herself. My father was mostly missing from the house as he spent his time either at this business or at the gambling table.

I saw the same pattern in my maternal grandmother’s life. She too was married to a husband who was never home but out gambling. I then reflected on my past relationships. What I realized was that unconsciously I had repeated my mother’s lineage pattern and attracted men who were either workaholics or unavailable.

Dad

I started learning to receive from Dad during my recovery. He offered me some cash to hire a helper to help me as I wasn’t able to do most things myself such as preparing my food. My first reaction was to decline his offer because I felt I was grown up and working and it would not seem right to take his money. But on second thought, I saw his offer as his way of expressing his love. He couldn’t be there to help me physically but money could bring me the help that he wished to give. So, I said, “Sure Dad, I’ll take your money!”

My relationship with Dad had always been only “okay”; not too good yet not too bad. Hence I felt that there was still room for improvement. As my body healed from the surgery, I took the opportunity to just do that and heal what needed to be healed in our relationship.

Healing Missing Fathers

In Family Constellation, parents are the ‘larger’ figures and it’s appropriate to receive from them. Being able to receive from parents opens us to receive from the Universe. I have learned to be the ‘smaller’ one when with them. By accepting his gift of money, I gave my father back his power as the larger support figure for me.

A part of me loved my father a lot when I was little. But watching my mother suffer, I had judged him. That judgement became more when I took it upon myself to be responsible for my parents’ marriage and their happiness. If only I could step out of that and go back to taking my place as their child, I would be free! If only I could stop interfering and making judgements about him and their marriage. This is merely a concept; it requires strong intention and some inner movement to let go and leave what’s between them, back to them!

My healing journey with my father hasn’t stopped there as there is always more room for improvement in any relationship. Therefore, I continue to explore and read books about healing my relationship with him.

I recently attended a coaching tool training in Bali. Not coincidentally, many of my classmates were also going through their own healing process with their missing fathers = fathers who had died young, who were divorced from the mothers or who left their families.

The Phoenix In The Sky

I got to deepen the connection with my father emotionally during the training by witnessing the others’ healing processes. I got to let go of my Mom’s sadness and the responsibility for her suffering. That was the biggest gift I received apart from the coaching tool I picked up.

At the end of the training, I extended my stay and had my self-time at the hotel gym while my classmates left. I was on the treadmill, looking out at the golf course, when I saw many dragonflies flying about at the green. I was delighted and went out intending to take some pictures of them. As I was chasing one particularly colourful dragonfly with my camera, I clicked a few shots without actually seeing what I was shooting because of the sun’s intense glare.

Later when I scrolled through my pictures at the hotel restaurant, I was surprised to see what I had captured in one of those pictures – a cloud and the sun had together create the shape of a giant phoenix rising into the sky.

The phoenix represents significant transformation. And having the “heart” of the phoenix alight meant that I had regained ‘love’, and that’s where my home is! The colourful dragonfly that I had chased around had led me to take a photo of an image that finally answered the question I had been asking since my mother passed away. Finally, I’d re-discovered my natural joy… to be like a dragonfly – again!

Navigate Your Life With Goddess Guidance

Vol. 29

Fast & Flippant

As a society we tend to flippantly suck the life out of pretty much everything in our lives. We are a fast-food, fast-living society. Just as we throw away the wrappers and packaging of the things we consume, we tend to throw away people too. Someone doesn’t agree with us or fit into our lifestyle and there we are – judging, ghosting and moving on to the next shiny sparkly-looking human we can find.

Words are frequently thrown around too, often spoken with no meaning or heart supporting them. Asking someone how they are has become passé, nobody seems to care or has time to care anymore.

What We Need Now

We are drawing near to that time of year, when once again, we would’ve accumulated a whole lot of new experiences, challenges and growth. We may feel we have gained enough distance from last year’s life-changing events, and feel these changes settling into the world. However, we are still a long way away from our destination; the journey has only just begun.

A song comes to mind when I think of the benevolent goddess energy, perhaps a little “yesteryear”, but the sentiment of the 60’s song What The World Needs Now Is Love by Jackie DeShannon will never outdate.

Bountiful Benevolence

On that note, it is not all doom and gloom – far from it. The world will always be in a state of flux, change and challenge. Our lives function in this way too. The very nature of the world is one of polarity where we live in a shifting continuum of opposites. Just as benevolence will never not exist, so too will this beautiful and bountiful goddess energy always be available to us.

A Healing Balance

There are thousands of myths and studies around ancient matriarchal societies and goddess worship, which need to continue if we are ever to evolve as human beings. There is no doubt that across the globe, spanning centuries, women and the feminine qualities have been undermined, abused, omitted and marginalized into subordination.

If the world needs one thing to bring itself back from the brink of self-destruction, then equality between the masculine and feminine energies would be a good starting point. Simply acknowledging this devastating imbalance will be the springboard to bring about the greatest healing to our planet once again.

Mother Of Life

The benevolent goddesses remind us that kindness, compassion, beauty and love are some of the most powerful keys to creating a harmonious balanced world. Each and every one of us has been birthed into this world through women, we each have a mother – whether ambivalent or involved – which we are connected to in one way or another.

Our mothers represent the elevated mother archetypal energy of which Mother Earth plays her part in sustaining us throughout our lives too. It is time to consciously step into the feminine aspects of our lives – whether male or female – and allow these compassionate, encouraging women to lead us back to becoming the open, loving-hearted people we were born to be.

The Benevolent Goddesses

Let us learn how from some of these benevolent goddesses.

Athena – Goddess of Courage, Clarity and Wisdom

Perhaps the most well-known and familiar of the goddesses in the East. This deity is both considered a goddess and Boddhisattva (enlightened being). The full meaning of her Chinese name means “One who sees and hears the sounds of the human world” or the “one who hears prayers” or “hears the cries of the world”. She will come to those, when called, to aid the lost, unfortunate, bereft, troubled and sick.

She tirelessly offers her help and service to all, claiming she will not abandon humanity until every being becomes enlightened. Quan Yin allows us to feel mercy and forgiveness towards those who have wronged us, to be gentle with ourselves and our faults and tap into the beauty of our spiritual gifts. Her compassionate nature is unending, she alleviates suffering and offers unconditional love to all.

Hathor – Goddess of Love, Fertility, Nurturing, Celebrations, Beauty

This multi-faceted goddess emulates many modern women with her multitask-filled days. Hence, she is given the name “The Hathors” – splitting herself into 7 goddesses just to get everything done in a day. She is the embodiment of feminine energy and reminds you to receive from life instead of always having to push through.

Associated with a gentle mothering presence and midwife support through and at childbirth. When you are feeling low and can’t find the beauty and joy in life, she will help you rediscover your way, guiding you like a mother, best friend and ally.

Aphrodite – Goddess of Love, Beauty & Sexuality

This ancient Greek goddess is the epitome of female sexuality, unadorned passion and love affairs. She is the obvious choice to call upon if your marriage or love affair needs an infusion of passion and re-igniting the flames. Aphrodite, well known for her attractiveness and beauty, can help you tap into your feminine gifts and charms. She will give you the boost you need to appreciate your body image and accept your sexuality.

Don’t know what to wear? Ask for her help! Her energy is useful when you want to be noticed – but beware you don’t attract the wrong types to you either. Make your intentions clear, for Aphrodite’s charms are enticing but intentional – she is no fool and doesn’t suffer them either. In Roman mythology her counterpart is Venus – the paragon of the spirit of the goddess.

Parvati – Goddess of Love, Empowerment & Devotion

This Hindu goddess addresses the wide scope of what women can accomplish in society and family life. She too is known by many names and takes many forms; her essence is that of All That Is, the enlivening feminine force of the Universe and creation.

Parvati is omnipresent like a maternal figure being everywhere at once, watching over her children and adapting to the moment to help wherever she can.

When you feel constricted by society’s norms, she can help you free yourself from these constraints and give you the push to be whoever you want to be. Parvati reminds you that there are no limits to what you can create and accomplish when living authentically, in spite of adversity.

Yemanya /Yemaya /Yemoja – Goddess of Rivers, Transformation, Opportunity

This universal goddess’ roots are found in West Africa. However, according to myth, she is to have travelled across the oceans to reach the shores of South/Central America. This has led her to be envisioned as part mermaid and worshipped as a powerful water spirit too (Orisha).

She oversees everything pertaining to the feminine roles, is both protector and an encourager who sees the bigger picture and opportunities that you may not be open enough to see.

Yemanya is the goddess to work with in times of transformation and change, when we need support and guidance. She is very good at helping you be at the right place at the right time, and encourages patience through the process of change. Trust the process and ride the waves of change, renewal and harmony with her.

Lady Guinevere – Goddess of Love, Romance & Growth

This Celtic Goddess is recognized for her incarnation and marriage to the famed King Arthur, even though her heart lay with his handsome cousin, the knight Lancelot. She claims many forms that pre-date the Arthurian legend, such as Faery Queen, Flower Maid and The Green Lady.

She will assist you when looking to find your true soul mate in this lifetime, and help ease any heartbreaks and unrequited love and loss experiences. Guinevere is a champion for women who have been dumped, abused, mistreated and side-lined.

Guinevere is the best friend that wants the best for you in your romantic life, and helps to bring romance back into your life, even if not in a relationship. She can assist with learning to love yourself and wait for the perfect partner, while becoming the perfect partner.

Being Here For Us Always

There are just so many beautiful goddesses to learn from, each with their own stories and legends. Who can honestly say that they cannot identify with each of them, in at least one small aspect or way?

Think back on a time you have been heartbroken, dumped, ignored, rejected, abandoned, betrayed… and now think about what you needed most at that time? You could perhaps say you needed a vacation, a drink or a tub of ice cream!

My bet is that you needed to feel compassion, you needed to hear it would all be alright, you needed to feel a genuine caring hug. You needed the shoulder of someone like Quan Yin and the warm embrace of Hathor. You needed the experience of Guinevere to guide you, and the spark of Aphrodite to let you know it’s not over yet. And when all was said and done, Parvati would come and pick you up off the floor and tell you it’s time to get back out there and start contributing to life again.

We are born with open, loving, receiving hearts. It is only our conditioning and environmental experiences which slowly start to block and build the barriers, which then turn love into a commodity of the “deserving”.

If we could find a way to remember our true nature at birth, the world would burst and bloom with love and respect for every living being. Surely that is what the world needs now!

Join me as we continue to celebrate the journey of the goddesses in another volume with the gracious Goddesses of abundance, wisdom, prosperity and luck!

Finding The Right Balance In Your Relationship

Vol. 3

‘What is it about relationships that is so special?’, you might ask.
The answer: everything!

Our life is about relationships. After we are born, it’s about our relationships with our parents and siblings. Later on, about our relationships with friends and finally with one of the most significant relationships of all, the relationship with our life partners is the relationship I would like to dig deeper into.

The Systemic Approach In Relationships

There is no right or wrong with the decision to get married. Some of us often hear stories about marriages that end up in divorce and we ask ourselves, ‘Is this how a real relationship is supposed to be like?’ Well, no.

When a couple decides to tie the knot, it should ideally last until the last day of their lives. I haven’t yet met a person who thinks, on their wedding day, ‘If this marriage doesn’t work out, I will just file a divorce.’

I look at relationships from the systemic perspective which originated from Bert Hellinger. He has worked with many couples with relationship issues and many of these involve intimacy in relationships.

Some of the clients are not married but live with their partners and so face a different set of problems as opposed to unmarried couples. Typically Hellinger finds the root causes of relationship issues by asking questions directly to the couple.

Commitment In Relationships

One of the questions Hellinger may ask is, ‘So, you are living with your partner but not marrying him/her? You are still waiting for someone better then, right?’ This is usually followed by a period of silence. Most people would be shocked to hear this question posed to them, and Hellinger would not explain much about it. But the question makes a lot of sense if one is to see the intention behind it.

Not being willing to commit to a marriage may be because we carry a subconscious hope or feeling that there would be someone better ‘out there’. I am not advocating that we should get married on a whim. This is said only to illustrate a different perspective on relationships and how relationships can be trying because of our hidden fears and desires.

It may also be understandable that if someone has gone through a divorce, then the person would naturally cautious about commitment and may not want to jump into another marriage. This does not mean that he or she is not committed to the present relationship.

Love At First Sight

Do you believe in ‘love at first sight’? Have you ever felt it? Did you marry the person with whom you feel in love with, at the first sight?

It may be interesting for you to know what ‘love at first sight’ means. It means that we are looking at the other person and seeing a mirror of ourselves in the other person. In that mirror that is reflected, we see the lessons we aim to learn through each other.

Hellinger puts it in other words: One neurosis looks at another neurosis and says, ‘Let’s work on our neurosis together’. Couples feel an instant attraction because they see in each other what they have in themselves. And they feel that it’s easier to work on those issues together.

True Love – Love At Second Sight

In some cases, ‘love at first sight’ becomes ‘love at second sight’ – mature love. Through commitment and mutual respect the couple grows together learning to love on a different level. This is what TRUE LOVE means.

You may ask, ‘How can I get there? What do I need to do? We quarrel so much that we feel there is more hate than love.’

It is actually quite simple to discover the love again if you are willing. Next time you argue with your partner, pause for a while and look into your partner’s eyes. Just for a moment. You will then realize that you can’t quarrel anymore. When you look into your partner’s eyes – you are looking into his/her soul and at the same time into your own (remember the mirror?). You may just feel again the love that brought the two of you together. Try it out – you will be surprised.

Another tip: Think about the beginning of your relationship – the moment you fell in love. Feel it again, bring this emotion up into your consciousness and look at your partner through this emotion. It will freshen up your relationship, no matter how long you have been together. You can do it every morning when you wake up and look at your still sleeping partner. And you can even whisper into his/her ear, ‘I love you’. Do it a few days in a row and expect miracles to happen.

Balancing The Good Deeds In Relationships

One of the most important things in a relationship is ‘balance’. There must be a balance between giving and taking; otherwise the relationship won’t survive long. In order for love to flow and grow between couples we need to be aware of this balance.

If you partner shows you love in a certain way, for example, gifts or flowers, it is important that you give something back in return. In fact, you can give a little bit more.

Then your partner will see and feel your giving and then he/she will do better to give you even more. And so the relationship energy will always grow in a positive way.

If one person is always giving and the other always taking, the imbalance may eventually cause one of the two to leave. In most cases, the person who takes more will leave because she/he won’t be able to accept the imbalance and her/his own inability to give back.

Balancing The Negative Deeds In Relationships

The same goes for balancing ‘hurtful deeds’. If your partner hurts you in any way, you can counter balance that ‘hurtful deed’ by doing something nice. This will help to rebalance the relationship. You can also forgive your partner, remembering that forgiving also means that you are letting go of any negative feelings you may feel. Forgiving is never approving what he/she did to you – but rather, a willingness to let go and heal yourself.

In a relationship, partners have equal status, if someone starts to feel superior or better than the other, problems will arise. Balance is one of the most profound dynamics in a relationship. I am sure that most people will resonate with this. Sometimes even friendships fall apart because one person gives more than the other.

You Can Love Again

Vol. 9

“How Could You Do This To Me?”

What do you do when your spouse or partner has an affair?

I have my own real-life story to share. When you first find out, you may have many questions racing through your mind… “How could the person do this to me? How long has this affair been going on”?

Now try to put a pause to all these thoughts. Just tell yourself and your mind that you will attend to them later. All these thoughts are not helping you in any way. Believe me, I know how that feels.

Everything DOES Happen For A Reason

Just for a moment, take my hand and believe that everything happens for a reason.

Believe that you will find a way out, and start to focus on yourself instead of your spouse and the betrayal.

Focus just for a moment on healing your heart and emotions, and then you will gain more peace and love.

Based on my personal experience, let me share a few steps to heal yourself.

The 4 Steps To Love Again

Step 1: Connect With Yourself

Usually after discovering an affair, many people will experience confused thoughts and emotions. Every morning before starting your day, take a few minutes to be silent. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Feel your heart and give yourself permission to feel your emotions. Acknowledge all the feelings or emotions that may surface. This includes shock, sadness, insecurity, fear and anger all of which are absolutely normal.

Have courage by allowing the emotions to run through you. Let your feelings out and never suppress them, as these emotions are negative energy that must be released. The more you face your emotions, the more courageous you become.

If it makes you feel better to release the emotions physically, you may choose to shout and scream at the top of your lungs at the beach or an isolated spot.

Never take out your unresolved emotions on others, and this includes your spouse. Everything happens for a reason, even if you cannot believe it now.

As you become stable emotionally, you will be able to accept what is happening in your relationship. I emerged stronger after going through them.

Step 2: Accept The Situation With Love

After releasing some of your emotions, you will feel some measure of inner peace and clarity.

This is the best time for you to go deep within yourself to contemplate on the affair and what may have contributed to it. You cannot change the past, but you can decide your present and future.

Gently allow yourself to accept and embrace the past. Admittedly, the scenario isn’t what you had wished for – but you will now be able to use that clarity by embracing it with love.

I suggest you make it a daily practice to connect with yourself and visualize the whole process in Step 1. Look within and check if there are further emotions that need releasing.

This is the time where there may be increased awareness of the underlying lessons behind the incident. Some may even realize it is a Divine gift to learn and grow from – so you may change something within you that might have caused this situation. There are valuable lessons to be learned in these difficult times although this may seem incredibly hard for you to accept.

Step 3: Forgive To Free Yourself

By going through the emotional process of letting go, you will soon rediscover an entire different side of yourself! It may be a prelude to complete inner freedom, resulting from the intention and the act of forgiving.

Learn to forgive yourself, and forgive everyone involved. Since you are involved in this extra-marital affair, you do bear some responsibility. This is true, even if you see yourself as the victim.

I hope that you gain more self-awareness through these steps and after a while, you will agree that you had unintentionally created the conditions or issues in your marriage. That is why you need to learn to forgive yourself too. You will realize that the most difficult person to forgive is not your spouse or the third party, but it is YOURSELF.

This is the time that you are ready to move forward in your life. Remember to acknowledge the courage that has helped you to work on your emotions up till now.

Step 4: To Love Again

Retrospectively, when you look back you will realize that you had healed yourself and are now starting on a transformative journey. Most of the time we are in our comfort zone, and barely have time to spend on self-contemplation.

Of all the problems you have in life, relationship issues are probably the ones that bring out the strongest emotions. These help you move out from your old “stationary” self and change – to move forward, learn and grow to be a more beautiful you.

Try something new now! You might want to make some lifestyle changes or learn something new. Focusing more on yourself increases your awareness about your life. This is an important part of self-love.

Look within instead of looking at others. Understand yourself more. When you truly pay attention to yourself – your body, your thoughts, your behavior, you will realize you have love within you.

And when you do, that’s when you open the door wide to attracting new love to you.

Beyond Love

You are born of love; your parents’ love created you. But like most people, you may be too caught up with daily routines until you neglect what is truly inside your heart. The moment you discover that your true self is filled with incredible amounts of love, you will feel and enjoy love all over again – but this time, it will be a love that’s beyond the human possessive love.

NAVIGATE YOUR LIFE WITH GODDESS GUIDANCE PART 2

Spirit Of The Warrior Goddess

Living in the 21st century is convenient but not easy. We have all been fighting battles with the world, our lives and ourselves. We have had to fight our way through pandemics, anxiety, illness, loss, uncertainty and unprecedented hardships.

The warrior goddesses knew that living takes a huge amount of courage. To live with courage is an invitation to live authentically, boldly, bravely and sometimes even a little foolishly. It doesn’t mean our decisions are perfect or right all the time. It doesn’t mean we always feel sure about them.

What it does mean is that we feel sure about ourselves. We are certain that we have an innate ability to forge ahead, even on days when we don’t want to. When we feel we can’t take another step, we still find a way to do what is right and necessary.

We deal with issues as they come up – instead of adding them to tomorrow’s to-do list. This is the spirit of the warrior goddess, the archetype that liberates and protects us using skill and discipline, never giving up and tirelessly fighting for what is fair and truthful.

As Above, So Below

If you think that you are alone in your struggles, think again. For centuries these brave women had to live in a time where they had no voice, no rights, no power. Every single day was a battle to feed, clothe and support themselves and their families. Death, plagues and poverty were rampant. Has anything really changed in our world?

Persephone, Greek Goddess of the Underworld, had 14 siblings! Can you imagine who won the fight for the remote control every evening, never mind the bathroom setup? Relating with primordial gods and goddesses – all the bickering, sibling rivalry, power struggles, adulterous affairs and double crossing for pole position – is not as foreign a concept as you may think.

Apathy and the illusion of time are our biggest downfalls. To the earliest goddesses there was no time like the present, living every day as if it was their last. These heroines had to flex the muscles of confidence, wit, courage and focus every single day – if only to survive.

Just as we cannot go into battle unprepared, we cannot go into our days unprepared either. We need to don the armor of purposeful living, not only to survive but to succeed and thrive.

Wisdom Of The Warrior Goddess

We do not have to be activists, advocates, agitators or aggressive, argumentative mercenaries always on the attack to emulate these great women. We just have to be who we are – sisters, mothers, daughters, husbands, sons – human beings. Unfortunately, over the centuries this is how the feminine warrior has been distorted and viewed – the heartless she-devil – a whole archetype of its own being born from this flawed thinking.

The warrior goddess does not do battle for battle’s sake; there is always a higher purpose. I am quite sure that each of these women had more interesting things to do with their days. Just as the ancient Samurai warriors had a calling to “serve and attend” so too does the deity live with conviction, integrity and honor. This is how she transforms from she-devil to the sacred empowered feminine.

Goddess Energy For The 21st Century

We could do well to master these qualities in our 21st century throw-away culture. We quit, block or delete people and places when things get tough. Often, we fall into a victim mentality, we lose heart and time waiting for something or someone “out there” to come to our rescue.

It is vital to wake up from the sleeping beauty syndrome we have created and save ourselves! Giving up is not an option. Should failure knock on our door, accept defeat but don’t dwell there. A warrior goddess is not bound by the past, though she has taken notes for her future. Can we aspire to embody her spirit where we live, whether man or woman, courageously, truthfully and authentically?

Settling into the new landscape of our lives, I hope these dynamic warrior women encourage you to continue the journey of discovering how this ancient feminine wisdom can enhance your life.

The warrior goddess learns the lessons and always takes flight to fight another day.

7 Magnificent Warrior Goddesses

Let us explore some of the mighty warrior goddesses who can teach us to embody empowerment in healthy and vibrant ways.

Athena – Goddess of Courage, Clarity and Wisdom

This multi-faceted Greek goddess, sometimes known as Pallas Athena, comes to your aid when clarity and intelligence are called for in taking the next step in your life, this is partly the reason she is also known as the Goddess of Wisdom and is often depicted with an owl as companion.

She encourages strategic thinking, instead of violence and aggression, to obtain the results you want; call upon her to help resolve arguments and disagreements.

Athena plays a central role in Greek mythology, always facing her opponents with courage and championing mere mortals to become heroes.

Minerva is the Roman counterpart to this powerful and talented goddess.

Nike – Goddess of Victory

Another well-known goddess of Greek mythology, Nike is the Goddess of Strength, Success and Speed – little wonder a very famous brand recognized the spirit of this goddess and ran with it.

Nike will literally spark the “just do it” attitude and fast track your growth to success.

She is depicted with wings, which also gives one the ability to rise above problems – useful to embody in any competitive environment.

Sekhmet – Goddess of War, Strength and the Sun

This Egyptian deity’s name means “strong and mighty” or “she who is powerful” and she lives up to it with her fierce protective nature and connection to lions.

She is a good ally when you need to stand up for yourself and release being a victim.

Her hot breath-like fire was said to have created the deserts and therefore can wipe out any problem that befalls you.

Sekhmet is associated with inner strength and the confidence to use it!

The Morrigan – Goddess of War and Sovereignty

A complex triple goddess associated with Celtic mythology and is known as “Great Queen” who embodies power, authority and strength.

When your life is out of control, she restores balance and reclamation of authority over your life.

This goddess demonstrates the courage of the mother who sees her child in danger, and puts her own life at risk to save her.

She is fierce, protective, and faces obstacles head on. Morrigan accompanies you on the battlefield.

Morrigan is closely associated with the Valkyries – a powerful group of female figures in Norse mythology who travel between the worlds fighting for justice and accompanying the deceased to the afterlife.

Maat – Goddess of Clarity/ Justice/ Truth

One of the most powerful Egyptian goddesses overseeing and judging the journey of souls at the time of death.

She brings clarity and truth when called upon to clear up confusing situations.

Maat assists with discernment in any situation to hear all sides of the story before passing fair judgement.

Call upon her energy before signing contracts, dealing with any disputes, or when feeling confusion.

Durga – Goddess of War, Strength and Protection

This principal Hindu goddess of war epitomizes courage in the face of adversity.

She provides the courage to stand up for what you believe in and takes no prisoners.

Durga is typically portrayed riding a lion or tiger, displaying multi-limbs to deal with conflict on multiple levels and fronts.

This Hindu goddess is a worthy ally to generate self-confidence and determination.

Freya – Goddess of War/ Love

The beautiful Norse goddess is still venerated across Europe today and is well known in pagan circles.

Freya brings to life the saying “All is fair in love and war”. She is a bold risk taker, loving to celebrate success and life.

Call on her when you need some confidence in social situations, especially on the romantic front, or have low self-esteem and body image issues.

Continue this magnificent journey with me in the next bodymindsoul’s article with the big-hearted, benevolent goddesses of compassion, love, beauty and kindness.

IMMERSE ONESELF IN NATURE

Vol.11

When Time Stood Still

Lying on the lush carpet-like grass, with the beautiful rays of the sun warming me, and enjoying the loving embrace of Mother Earth, I felt completely at peace. Peace and a deep contentment I had never experienced before. Time stood still and it seemed like absolutely nothing mattered. I didn’t have a care in the world (though in reality, that wasn’t the case). Somehow all the thoughts ceased to exist, making my to-do list for the day mundane and frivolous!

On that lovely Saturday morning, there were many families with laughing and screaming children running about excitedly. I was oblivious to it all as I was only aware of the sound of my long deep satisfying breaths that seemed to last forever. Totally relaxed, my mind and body were liquid honey. I felt blissful just lying there on the green grassy grounds of the Lake Gardens Kuala Lumpur, safely cocooned in a world of my own. What an amazing feeling that was!

Every fibre of my being felt the intensity of everything around me. I was connected to the wind that softly caressed my face and my ears were extra sensitive as they picked up the rustling sounds of leaves. My eyes followed the leaves too – they looked like diamonds glistening in the sunlight, smiling and beckoning me to share their juicy secrets! I marveled at how the birds made sweet happy sounds as they flew about. My heightened sense of smell could pick up the fragrances of the different flowers around me. The laughter from people would usually have been like an intrusion but today they all seem to want to convey some message; if only I could interpret what Mother Earth was trying to say to me.

Immersion In Oneness

In that moment, I stopped trying to analyze everything and just went with the whisper from my heart which said, “Stop struggling! Surrender! Be still!” Closing my eyes, in a sudden flash, I realized that I was experiencing what some spiritual teachers/ masters call the state of “Oneness”. Dr. Wayne Dyer defines this as the concept of where we’re from, meaning discarding all ideas of separation from anything and anyone. With that realization, an overwhelming sense of appreciation washed over me. I became aware that every thought and deed affected humanity and Mother Earth. Positive thoughts and actions are uplifting, while negative ones have an adverse effect. The interconnectedness is not limited to humans but extends to all of Mother Earth’s inhabitants. Amidst this emotion, all I could think of was this:

What would happen if more and more people started to realize that we are all interconnected and a part of Mother Earth, breathing the same air, sharing the same water, feeling the same emotions? Will peace on earth become a reality in our lifetime? Absolutely YES!

SAYING “NO” WITH LOVE

Volume 7

A strict upbringing made me believe that if I said “yes”, I was being good. A “no” translated into being bad or disobedient. This belief coupled with low self-esteem made me a yes-girl throughout most of my adulthood. All of that changed when I started my spiritual practice some years back. I started to understand why I felt the need to give in to other people’s demands no matter how reluctant I felt. That was a huge revelation. I now find it easier to say “no”.

6 Ways Of Making It Easier To Say “No”

1. You Can’t Please Everyone
No one in this world can be liked, loved or completely accepted by everyone else. Neither do you have control of what others think of you. There will always be cynics, nay-sayers, wet blankets and what-nots waiting to voice their personal opinions. Face it… no matter what you say or do, you can never please everyone.

What matters is that you are in charge of what you think about yourself – how you feel within yourself. It is not about how others feel or react when you say “no”.

2. Love & Accept Yourself As You Are
According to the law of attraction, your thoughts and emotions are reflected through other people and by the situations you attract. When you love, honor and respect yourself, you attract more of these attitudes to yourself from other people. And eventually, you too will also treat others the same way, bringing more mutual love and respect into the world.

Do you feel energized and empowered after you say “no”? This goes back to self-love; saying “no” puts back the value into our own needs and preferences. It’s really up to us to love ourselves no matter what happens on the outside. Empowering means to always bring it all back to ourselves.

3. Sincere People Stay With You Even When You Say “No”
When someone gets upset with you or disagrees with you, the fear of losing their ‘approval’ may creep in. Face your fear with this affirmation – “I love and accept myself just the way I am.” Loving yourself unconditionally means fully accepting the way you are without judgment. Loving yourself fully for what you are and also, for what you are not.

If these people are meant to be a part of your life, they will support and respect your decision and continuously be there for you. Otherwise, they will leave and there is nothing wrong with that as they have already lived out their role they were meant to play in your life. All you need to do is to ensure you grow as a person and keep moving forward with an open heart and sincere intentions.

4. The Choice Is Yours
Always remember that you have a choice in any situation.

Let’s assume that I am invited to hang out at a particular bar by well-meaning friends. Just because I don’t have anything else on and just want to chill out at home, it does not mean I have to join them. As it happens, I do not choose to be at a place filled with cigarette smoke or loud music because such an environment affects my personal energy.

There is no need to explain myself to my friends. With enough self-respect, a simple “Thank you, but I don’t wish to do that” is good enough for me to decline the invitation politely.

Also, I am often told to work up a sweat to keep fit. But there are days when I prefer to stay home, be a couch potato and watch TV. I take full responsibility for my decisions even, if I may be unsure about them sometimes.

I am ready to face all the consequences of my choices. I find it is better to make a clear choice that I am responsible for than to do something I do not want to do. On most occasions, I find that I am glad that I stayed home to rest and recuperate from a hectic week.

5. Be Your Authentic Self
Being spiritual is about constantly facing life with your authentic self. It’s a fact that you cannot control what others think about you. You can only control what you choose to believe about yourself. So make choices in your best interests and your highest good.

Consider that always saying “yes” to others despite our own discomfort eventually makes us resentful and frustrated. We should stop playing the victim as that lowers our vibration. We starve ourselves to feed others, mentally and emotionally, and that is not being authentic and empowering.

6. Say “No” with Love
Always say “no” with a loving attitude. A way to do this is to place your attention on your heart as you say, “I would love to help you but I have already made plans. Thank you for understanding.” or “Let me think about it and I will get back to you tomorrow.” The second is a way to have more time to figure out if going along with the request is something you want to willingly do.

Also, start saying “yes” to yourself more often, that is, to the choices that make your heart sing with joy. With this affirmation of yourself, you will gradually find it easier to say “no” to others.

Persistence Is Key

I cannot say I have successfully said no on every occasion since then. However, today I am way better at it compared with my yes-girl days. I am still not as direct as I wish to be, although I am as honest as I can be in explaining my decisions. Surprisingly, people have been forgiving and they respect my explanations.

My refusals are out of love and respect for myself and are in no way meant to offend. I am fully aware of my own emotions as I say “no”, whether I feel, for example, empowered or guilty. I am looking forward to the day when I can say “no” with love consistently all the time.

I am not perfect, and like all human beings, I am here to learn and grow. The many demands from the people around me are perfect opportunities to realize that I am here to stretch beyond my present limits and grow. It reminds me of our true purpose – to be of service to humanity, in whatever situation we are in, with love.

DRESSING FOR YOUR SOUL

Volume 19

What You Wear Affects You

Do you take the time to choose what you wear every morning? Or perhaps, evenings, as you dress for dinner? Obviously, some of us take more care in our appearance than others. Is it because some of us love fashion or perhaps have the need to create or maintain a certain image?

Yet others dress according to their moods. Professor Karen Pine, author of Mind What You Wear, found that specific clothing can make people feel more confident in different situations. Common sense and experience would show you that what we wear affects the way others think of us. Many people are affected by how others see them.

Sometimes putting on different clothing makes you feel differently too. For example, something silky may make you feel relaxed or classy or sexy. Something with somber colors enhances the seriousness of a task or situation that you find yourself in.

Over the years many cultures have rules regarding dressing, in general or for specific occasions. One might think that this is done for image or honor but it is actually done to instill certain values or a particular mindset in the wearer. For example, military uniforms may evoke feelings of patriotism or reinforce a hierarchy of superiority and subordination.

Pine also found that the effect of dressing in certain clothing is so strong that when the women in one of her research groups were asked to do a math test in a swimsuit or wearing a sweater, the latter group performed better.

More often than not, people choose to dress a certain way to express how they feel, what they think, and what they choose to honor. So if the way we dress has a lot of influence on our psychology and spirit, doesn’t it make sense or feel better to be more selective of what we wear?

Clothing To Change Your Life

According to International Makeover Coach Selena Rodriguez in The Archaeology Of Style, clothing emits energy through its cut, colors, design, fabric and fit when a garment or accessory matches to one or more of a person’s essential inner qualities. Clothing cannot otherwise give to a person an attribute the wearer does not already carry. Perhaps this is why just simply wearing a particular color or shape may not help the wearer manifest or change the situation she or he wants to change.

By wearing a certain style but not feeling comfortable in it does not help manifest or improve a certain situation because, well, the style may not suit you at all in terms of personality or lifestyle. You are just not being authentic, not respecting your body or living according to what makes your soul happy.

A Colorful Learning Experience

I have a good friend who has a colorful sense of style that always makes her look perfect in what she wears. Although she mixes different textures and price tags but one constant is that she is always colorfully dressed. She is also one of the kindest and most positive people I know. She explained it best when she told me that she had had an abusive and controlling husband all her married life, and divorced, she feels free to express herself and be herself.

This friend is a teacher and counsellor by profession, but if you were to meet her, you would definitely notice that she does not dress at all like what you would expect of her profession. Yet she is successful, holds a good position at work and is leading a most blessed life despite widowed by her second husband.

Dressing Your Purpose

Since my life purpose involved becoming more of my authentic self, I decided that I would experiment with this to see which clothing I wore would make me feel more like myself.

If I were being true to myself, and my body, mind and soul were aligned that particular day to my purpose, intention and tasks, I should be able to create positive and aligned outcomes. And yes, more often than not, I’ve found that those days were indeed among my most positive ones.

Dressing Your True Essence

You can use your clothing to radiate qualities you need more of and minimize the ones you don’t need, or divert attention away from the qualities you don’t need. This article is not about teaching you how to dress or what colors you should wear but to remind you to be mindful of how what you wear affects you and others, and can actually change the outcomes of situations in your life!

For a start, it’s important to know who you are. Just because red denotes passion and you want to emphasize that, it does not mean that you have to focus heavily on red when you do not like the color. Think about other things that make you feel passionate.

When you are wearing what makes you shine, you will feel good and confident about yourself. People will respond favorably to you and compliment your style or act more positively when you are around.

Many of us live according to the expectations of others. So much so, we often forget our true essence and lose sense of who we are. About 8 years ago, someone I had just met told me, “You are nothing like you dress, you are actually a little crazy and fun to talk to”.

That really surprised me as I really did not give much thought to what I wore then. My opinion then of people who did care about what they wore was that they were either socialites or artistic people. And I thought of myself as neither – I was a lecturer and just felt that I had to dress conservatively.

Perhaps dressing up isn’t so much about impressing anybody, but about fulfilling your life purpose and influencing others for the better, leaving a unique impression on the world.

Have you met anyone whose sense of style makes you break out in a smile? What if your dressing could bring out the best in you or other people in every way? What if you dressed a certain way and could transform the way you feel about certain situations and people and thus create different outcomes for your life?

If clothes do maketh the woman and the man, let us clothe ourselves in ways that make us shine out the true essence of our soul, not mask it. And make our world a better and happier one if even for a day.

EMBRACING SELF-KINDNESS

The Healing Power of Self-Compassion

My journey toward self-kindness began in the shadows of self-criticism and relentless personal standards. For years, I lived under the weight of an internal narrative that dictated perfection as the only path to worthiness. This harsh treatment wasn’t confined within myself; it seeped into my interactions, inadvertently affecting those around me with a similar intensity of judgment and expectation.

However, a pivotal moment of realization came when I understood that the foundation of external kindness is deeply rooted in how we treat ourselves. By adopting a gentler approach toward myself, I learned that kindness is not merely an action but a state of being that begins from within. This was not an overnight transformation but a gradual awakening to the immense power of self-compassion.

As I ventured deeper into self-awareness, I discovered that many of us, especially women, are conditioned to prioritize the needs of others above our own. This often leaves us feeling depleted and disconnected from our own needs. I learned that being kind to ourselves isn’t an act of selfishness but a crucial element for a balanced and fulfilling life. It was through this lens of self-compassion that I began to see my self-care as a necessary practice, not a luxury. Each step of nurturing myself was a step towards healing not only my own spirit but also enhancing my capacity to contribute positively to those around me.

Steps to Cultivate Self-Kindness

As I navigated my path towards gentleness, I embraced several practices that became pillars of my daily life:

1. Transforming Inner Dialogue: Through the healing practice of Brainspotting, I shifted my inner narrative from criticism to compassion, reminding myself daily, “I am doing my best, and that is enough.”
2. Artistic Expression: When words felt too rigid, I turned to colors and art to express my emotions, letting each hue speak where words could not.
3. Affirmations of Worth: Each morning, I would affirm my worthiness, reminding myself: “I am worthy. I am enough. I deserve kindness.”
4. Essential Self-Care: Recognizing that self-care is not indulgence but a necessity, I scheduled regular ‘me-time’ to replenish my spirit, just as I would any crucial appointment.
5. Learning to Say No: Setting boundaries and learning to say no without guilt helped me respect my limits and prioritize my well-being.
6. Mindful Growth Through Additional Practices: Continuously engaging in mindfulness practices enriched my journey. Taking deep breaths, checking in with myself throughout the day, observing my thoughts without judgment, and spending time in nature allowed me to engage fully in the moment and deepen my connection to self-kindness.s.

Choosing Kindness with Every Breath

Choosing to be kind to oneself is a daily practice, a commitment to living from the heart. It’s about recognizing that each act of self-kindness not only heals us but also sends ripples of compassion out into the world. Every day, we have the choice to nurture our own hearts with kindness and spread that love further. By embracing self-kindness, we make the world a gentler, more loving place. Let’s choose kindness today, and every day, for ourselves and for the world around us.

LOVE IS LIFE, LIFE IS LOVE

Looking For Love

My parents often quarreled when I was a child. It happened so frequently that it made me question what love was all about. Don’t couples marry because they are in love? Why the constant quarrelling then? My young mind was baffled and I couldn’t understand why.

Growing up, I stopped asking that question.

Funnily, I ended up marrying early in life but it wasn’t done out of love. I can still recall the week before the wedding when I asked myself again, “Am I doing this because of love?” My best friend asked, “Do you love him?” I was stunned because I realized I couldn’t answer her question. I couldn’t comprehend what love was.

That’s when the childhood question surfaced again, “What is love? How do I know if this is love?”

Without an answer, I proceeded with the wedding, hoping to live happily ever after, only to find myself signing divorce papers some years later. It broke my heart and I remember feeling unloved, insecure and abandoned from that episode. However, deep down I knew that the fault did not lie entirely with my ex- husband.

What Is Love?

Whenever I see couples display affection and whisper sweet nothings to each other, I always wondered how it felt like. I was constantly figuring that out, hoping to get at least an inkling of what “love” is. What is it, really?

I had never felt love as a child or adult. If I had it, I never recognized it. My relationships were all about me feeling needed and wanted, and that I could be the source of happiness for my partner.

Love was still out of reach. Where, what, how?

Inner Love

I was like on an unending quest to find this thing called “love” that kept giving me the slip. I began to grow more aware of myself and started to broaden my horizons about love through reading and watching relationship videos, having deep conversations with others who have experienced loving relationships and practicing self- reflection to understand myself better.

Once, I attended a meditation where everyone cried as they felt the awe of Divine love. After the session, they eagerly took turns to share their experiences. But I didn’t feel anything at all, so what could I share? I felt so disappointed with myself and asked the facilitator, “How is it that everyone can feel love but me? How can I feel love?” Right there and then, he told me to close my eyes and proceeded to facilitate a short one-on-one meditation with me.

And for the very first time in my life, I experienced “love”.

It was a profound experience that was filled with the sense of liberation and freedom. It felt as though nothing else in the world mattered anymore as the feeling of love brought on the indescribable magnificence of an ultimate emotion and being.

I asked if this was what love felt like between couples, between parents and their children or between friends. He replied, “Love, regardless of who, should not have an agenda. Love is not to fill up our lack within. It should not come with any expectation or condition. Love just is.”

For a few days after that, I was obsessed with this feeling as I wanted to be with “love” and I would make every attempt to recall the feeling of that particular meditation session. As days went by, my hold on the feeling of “love” started to wane. Eventually I could not feel the love I had experienced during that meditation session anymore. I could not bring it back.

My search for love then changed to “How can I feel love without having to go into meditation?”

Love vs Lust

The relationships I had were all one-sided. In a way, I’m blessed as my partners would openly express their love for me. I, on the other hand, would always struggle to return those declarations of love. “Fake it till you make it”, so I thought, and I would then struggle to say the same 3 words to them and feel guilty after that.

So that had me thinking, well then what is the purpose of being in a relationship if it’s just to fulfill our physical needs? Is such a relationship enough? Is it sustainable?

In one relationship, right after we bonded intimately, my partner asked, “Did you feel it? The energy swirling between you and me in the form of an infinity symbol?” I was shocked and couldn’t manage a reply as I did not feel it at all.

He went on to describe how it was something that he had never experienced before as his entire body felt like it was being electrified in a beautiful and loving way. It was as though we were united as one and he could feel my entire energetic being merging with him.

He gave a phenomenal description of our union. Of course, I was elated but at the same time, frustrated that I couldn’t get to experience and feel what my then partner felt. And I thought, perhaps I had separated the act of “loving” from “love”.

That’s Love

Years later, I had a fascinating realization about the above experience when a girlfriend asked how one can have an intimate relationship with a person without loving that person. I gave many different answers from different perspectives but the questions kept coming.

Not convinced nor satisfied with my answers, she asked further, “Did you even like him then?” I thought for a bit and instantly responded, “Of course I did! That’s why we were dating. I liked the person that he is, the way he thinks, his personality and character.”

She continued “But that’s also love, isn’t it? Why do you need to categorize love?” I was caught off guard with her last question and it stuck in my head. That question had me ruminating on the definition of love and I took time to reflect deeper within.

All my life, I had been searching for love and wanting to understand what love was. In all my past relationships, love seemed to elude me. Why couldn’t I feel love?

As I looked and examined within, I began to realize that I had been categorizing “love” in a box of its own when in fact, love should not be put into any box at all. I had unwittingly pigeonholed love and therefore limiting it in my unconscious mind. It dawned upon me that love is in every little thing that I experience in my life every day.

Life Is Love

The Universe always arranges everything in the most appropriate timing for all, and that includes me. As if to confirm my new awareness and realization, I had another a-ha moment soon after – synchronicity was at work.

I was in another meditation session, this time facilitated by my mentor and in that session, suddenly everything became crystal clear. Not only is love in all the small experiences of our daily life, love also pops up in all directions and situations. I saw love in every aspect of my life including past events and situations, words uttered or refrained, actions taken or withheld – pleasant or otherwise.

That session added another layer of depth to my understanding of love and opened up further my consciousness to the realm of love.

In that new awareness, I felt the liberation that I hadn’t felt in a long while. I was overjoyed! My entire being was bursting at the seams with energy, brimming… with love.

Love Is Here And Now

In the days after, still in an exalted frenzy, I was inspired to write this article and title it Love Is Life, Life Is Love.

Love is Life: Everything we do is out of love. Every little thing, no matter which aspect of life, makes up our life journey. From my mom preparing my favorite Chinese dessert, or she asking if I’ve had my dinner when I come home from work, to my dad cooking a vegetarian meal specially for me. Me as a mother anxious over my children or me gently brushing my lover’s hair with my fingers. One of the simplest acts of love that I get to experience regularly is when a girlfriend texts me from time to time asking whether I’m well.

Life is Love: Life is never a straight line. We have ups and downs, successes and challenges, pains and joys, disappointments and celebrations. All of these are love. And when you see them for what they truly are, you will realize and understand how love can resolve anything and everything. Life itself is love. The wind on a hot day, a cup of coffee served, having enough money in our purse, enjoying a warm shower on a cold day, a smile to brighten someone’s day, the things we say to inspire others, the quarrels and fights, a divorce, the heartbreaks, the traffic when we are rushing to somewhere… they all teach us to see love in every situation of life.

These wonderful realizations and understanding of love have somehow opened the window of gratitude for me to appreciate every moment in my life, which before had posed a big challenge for me. Divine timing had made all this happen for me and for that, I am also in gratitude.

As I allow myself to be grateful and see the grace in all events, incidents and situations that have happened or are happening in my life, I am immediately filled and overcome with the immense feeling of love for the people around me.

These are the answers to the “love” that I had asked about since I was a child. In my heart now are feelings of joy, love and gratitude. I cannot thank my mentors enough for all these enriching experiences and for patiently guiding me to understand what love is — Sky Kho and Low Sheau Shy.

If you, like me, have been constantly asking, “What is love?” here’s a beautiful quote from Kryon to all of you seeking the meaning of love.

LOVE is quiet.
LOVE has no agenda.
LOVE does not puff itself up. LOVE has the wisdom to use the other three perfectly!
~ Kryon
(From Book 5: The Journey Home)

FORGIVING

Volume 4

Forgiveness is a word that is often taken for granted and it’s quite often used even when the giver or the asker does not mean it. Forgiveness kicks in when we feel that someone has wronged us (this is when we forgive) and when we have wronged someone (this is when we ask for forgiveness). There seems to be so many people and situations in life that we need to forgive and from whom we need forgiveness. The people and situations may be from the past or from what’s presently happening in our lives.

The Damage Done To The Inner Child

All of us have our fair share of perceived hurts and slights which shape us into the people we are. These hurts and slights are normally childhood traumas which then give birth to a host of other traumas; a classic example of the latter is the feeling of being rejected socially.

This rejection in social situations happens when a child, probably having felt “rejection” by an inattentive parent, grows up, attempts his first friendship and finds that the same feeling of rejection he felt as a child is felt again when the other person does not respond in the way he expects. He had in fact been looking at the situation through the eyes of that child who had been hurt long ago, and as a result is reliving the memory of a past hurt. He will continue to interpret every similar event as a rejection until he finds out, if he ever finds out, that it is he who is the cause of his own feelings of rejection and not the other person.

The Closed Heart & The Battle Within

The result from all the ego-centered busyness of being hurt about this and about that is a closed heart which will fiercely protect itself from all manner of threat real or imagined. Having a closed heart prevents us from experiencing life as how life should be experienced – in the raw without fear.

Not only does a closed heart protect itself, it may even go on the offensive by destroying loving relationships with others so that the wounded heart does not have to face the prospect of being rejected yet again.

A closed, defensive heart makes us mistakenly see a relationship with someone as another battle, as we fail to see that the battle is in fact a battle within ourselves.

The Memories Of Yesterday

The memories of past hurts and pains by other people or situations are a thick wall of fear that blocks our genuine interaction with the outside world. These old memories stop us from feeling ourselves and feeling others. They block our soul energy from nourishing us physically, emotionally and mentally, and cause us to miss opportunities for love and healing.

Painful memories shut us down from being who we really are inside: loving, compassionate beings who are not afraid to show love and tenderness, who see every human being as a beautiful person no matter who he or she is, who are not afraid to speak out or take action, who are not fearful about what others say about us. Aren’t these what we all want to be?

The Essence Of Forgiving

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” Lewis B. Smedes

For those on the spiritual path, we will have to confront our inner demons and face our fears, accept them and let them go if we are to make any meaningful progress towards our spiritual goals. This is what we call spiritual healing and a large part of this process involves the act of forgiving.

Forgiving clears away the bad memories which cloud our vision of ourselves and of the world. With clarity, we begin to see and experience ourselves and the world as we truly are: pure love. We free ourselves of the chains that lock us down from being the powerful beings that we are.

In this process, the first person whom you should forgive is yourself. Forgive yourself for the wrongs you’ve caused the people in your life and forgive yourself for all the wrong choices which you have made in life.

Then again, there are actually no “wrong” choices because what happens in life is exactly how they are meant to be for us to learn our soul lessons. But the energy of the regret that we carry has to go and forgiving is the way to do it.

Thus the essence of forgiving is forgiving ourselves. Through this, we rid ourselves of the energies of guilt and regret so that we can stop attracting negative experiences and start attracting new and positive ones into our lives.

Don’t Regret, Just Do Better Here And Now

“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.” Pema Chodron

Don’t get stuck in the trap of past regrets: simply commit yourself to do better now and today. For until you learn your lesson and do better, what you do not want never really goes away.

Forgive yourself by first accepting without judgment all the experiences in life, good or bad, that you have gone through. Forgive yourself by letting go of all the feelings of guilt that you carry within. And through the same process of accepting and letting go, forgive each and every person and situation whom you blame for hurting you.

You Can Forgive

“If you feel the need to forgive, forgive today.” Anonymous

You are not what you see yourself as – you are more beautiful and loving than the person you think you are. The world is not what you see it as – it is more beautiful and loving than how you are experiencing it.

To experience beauty and love, you need only to forgive.

Living Life Raw

“What makes you vulnerable also makes you beautiful.” Brene Brown

To live life in the raw is to live and experience life as it should be experienced – fully conscious and without fear. It requires us to be open and accepting of people, events and situations which make us feel threatened or insecure. It means allowing our vulnerability to show through without flinching. Living life raw requires a lot of courage.

Here are 3 things you can do to allow some vulnerability into your life, which will help open your heart to more love and compassion:-

1. Be authentic
   Behave in a genuine manner instead of putting on an act to impress others or to hide something you do not wish others to see. Authenticity frees us from the need for other people’s approval thus allowing us to fully experience ourselves.
2. Judge not & resist not
   Do not judge situations as good or bad. Things are not often what they seem. Judging something or someone as bad or wrong immediately creates negative feelings which bias our experience against the situation and prevents us from experiencing it as it is.In the same way, do not resist whatever happens. Resistance tenses the muscles and turns the experience to an unpleasant one. Respond appropriately to situations without the conditioned fear and tension that comes from resisting something. This allows us to experience the situations differently, perhaps from love or compassion.
3. Embrace negative emotions
   Embrace your negative emotions because they are a part of you. Just as a parent does not reject a child no matter what he or she does, do not reject your emotions. Instead, acknowledge and accept your negative emotions gracefully so that you experience them fully without recoiling in fear. Just remember it is never the other person’s action that hurts you but your emotional reaction to it that does. So deal with your emotions instead of blaming the other person for your hurt feelings.

BALANCING MOTHERHOOD SELF-CARE

How It All Started

We mothers have been culturally programmed to put our children’s needs or wants first, aircraft oxygen masks related stories, aside.

Recently, I attended an international women’s forum in Kuala Lumpur that focused on whether women can have families and careers simultaneously. Even in this day with many working mothers, women feel guilty when more time is poured into careers/ interests or as much to them as their home.

There’re most definitely times when our children’s needs come first. That’s when, e.g., they can’t fend for themselves and there’s no one specially tasked or employed to care for them. In emergency cases if you have a sick or terminally ill child, you may have to put your child’s needs “first”.

Still, you have to carve out some “Me” time. It’s essential to your well-being, as a person and as a mother.

The Balance Game

There’s a delicate balance that mothers must manage, between parenting their child and parenting themselves.

A good parent is one who nurtures, cares for her own self and puts her needs at par with her child’s. You are your child’s main role model. If you take care of yourself, your child will pick up this most important attitude from you.

A parent’s job is not to sacrifice for her child but to guide the child on how to take care of himself/ herself well enough. Self-love is indeed a beautiful gift to give a child. If you can teach children to love themselves, the other lessons will fall into place much faster.

I’m not asking you to not care about your child at all but to understand that we are all one.

Self-Love Is An Important Life Lesson

By caring for yourself you are caring for your child!

I quit my job for about 2 years, to care for my eldest child, 20 years ago, but by the time I had my youngest, I had so many things on my plate that I didn’t have as much time for her. By this time, however, I had learnt that my needs and wants are just as important as my children’s and so I didn’t sweat the small stuff anymore.

You don’t have to give in to their food requests or choice of activities all the time or attend every function if you need rest. Tell them when you need to bathe or have a meal. If they’re very young, have someone designated to attend to their important needs, while you finish whatever it is you need to do.

I stopped saying “no” to requests to meet friends because my daughter or son had a play date or an outing. Sometimes I tell my children that they had to cancel their appointments because I needed to do my thing even if it was just tea with my friends, shopping or a spa date.

She Turned Out Fine

My youngest turned out to be more independent and well adjusted, more so than her brother whom I had dedicated so much of my time and energy to when he was younger.

She has a wonderful and resilient attitude towards life. Plus, she’s helpful, positive and forgives more easily than her brother with his more rigid attitude. She also has better personal boundaries, as she is able to say “no” to expectations and requests. She’s able to wait patiently, most of the time, and doesn’t sulk if someone needs to do something and it supersedes her wants at that time.

I’m grateful for the opportunities to tell her that I have bought something that is especially mine for my birthday or a sibling’s and that she’ll have to wait for hers to get her own special thing. Or that just because she is the youngest she doesn’t always get her way or get to bully older siblings.

At the same time she understands that if she is hurt or has an emergency I love her enough to be there for her as soon as possible.

Give It A Try

Next time you have an urge to give up something you need or enjoy for your child’s sake ask yourself, “Will my child really suffer if I said ‘no’?”

Don’t have any expectations, for example you may feel guilty, the first time you do it. But parenting is a life lesson on its own. Especially if self-love or self-worth or even setting personal boundaries is particularly challenging for you.

The first time may seem difficult if you have been giving in for too long, but really…it does get better. Remember, happy Mums raise happier children!

DEEPEN YOUR MEDITATION WITH 3 ESSENTIAL TOOLS

Meditation has become a transformative part of my life, helping me find inner peace, clarity, and self-awareness. Over time, I discovered three essential tools that have significantly enhanced my meditation experience: breathing techniques, observation, and connecting to my heart space. Let me share how these tools shaped my journey.

Breathing: A Gateway to Stillness

Breathing is fundamental in meditation. The right way of breathing can ease you into a meditative state more effortlessly. Long, deep breaths help you connect to your heart and relax your body compared to shallow breaths. When you breathe deeply, you bring more oxygen into your body, allowing your muscles and nerves to release tension and let go naturally.

Controlled breathing is key. For instance, breathing in gently without force and exhaling slowly signals your mind and body to relax. Over time, focusing on your breath can calm your “monkey mind,” enhance your ability to focus, and nurture a sense of inner peace.

Breathing through the nose and mouth can offer different experiences. For example, exhaling through the mouth can help release tension, providing a sense of liberation and relief. A big sigh while breathing out can amplify this feeling. When ready to connect deeply with yourself, shifting to nasal breathing helps focus your energy inward.

For enhanced concentration, focus on your nose or heart while breathing. This technique facilitates detachment from external distractions, paving the way for relaxation and inner peace.

Observation: The Art of Awareness

Observation in meditation involves using your senses to gather information about your inner and outer worlds without attachment or judgment. It is one of the most vital tools for enhancing your meditation experience.

During meditation, you observe your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, as well as your reactions to the external world. This practice, done without engaging or clinging to any particular thought or sensation, can provide profound insights into yourself, situations, and life in general.

Many perceive meditation as simply sitting quietly and doing nothing. In reality, meditation is a highly effective method for turning inward. By observing your inner world, you uncover deep wisdom and realizations that can help you lead a better life.

Observation fosters self-awareness—a prerequisite for meaningful change. This heightened awareness brings clarity and helps you make better choices. Unlike analysis, observation is about gathering information from your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without overthinking. It allows you to see the bigger picture of any situation or aspect of life.

From personal experience, observation through the heart or sixth sense can be even more effective. It integrates intuition with past, present, and future insights, aiding in healing, clarity, and creativity. This form of observation helps you make confident, well-informed decisions aligned with your true self.

Observation through the heart also enables an unbiased perspective, helping you understand all sides of a situation. It often leads to profound realizations and experiences of healing, forgiveness, gratitude, and compassion.

Heart Space: A Sanctuary Within

Sitting quietly in a meditative state and connecting to your heart space offers a sense of joy, safety, love, and lightness. This sacred space allows you to:

• Be present with your intuition.
• Become mindful of your feelings, thoughts, and sensations.
• Recognize your reactions to people, environments, or situations.
• Understand yourself better and make conscious choices.

The heart space is also where you can detach from the external world and reconnect with your true self. It serves as a bridge to your soul and intuition, offering access to universal wisdom and guidance. Through this space, you can gain clarity, direction, and an abundance of love and flow in life.

In this state, you experience profound communication with the universe, leading to healing, self-discovery, and alignment with your higher purpose.

Meditation has been a life-changing journey for me. By focusing on my breathing, learning to observe without judgment, and connecting deeply to my heart space, I’ve unlocked tools that help me heal, grow, and create a better life. I hope sharing my experience inspires you to explore these tools in your own meditation practice and discover the transformation waiting within you.

Making Changes Is An Inside Job

A while back, I had a difficult situation with a student of mine. His parents are well educated and work in the education field. They will always ask me to put a little pressure on him during his exam and always give me very little time to prepare him for the exam. Instead, they would spend the time on family holidays, overseas.

I would feel helpless and always felt like giving up on teaching him. However, I knew that it was not his fault. And I had already communicated to the parents that learning to play the piano should not be rushed.

I always tell myself never to give up easily on any student or rather not to shy away from any challenges that I may face. If I give up, I would never have the chance to see the results of my efforts, especially when I have given my all in a task. But at the same time, I learnt not to expect any specific outcome but just to do the best that I can.

Don’t React, Reflect

And so I learnt not to react so quickly when faced with any challenges during my lessons with him. I admit it was not easy at all in the beginning, as I had resistance in my heart and a little voice kept telling me to give up.

Instead, I chose to do some self-reflection later during my meditation session, on the issues that came up. In doing so, I found inner peace and the answer on how to cope.

The important thing is not the problem. Therefore, don’t focus on the problem. Instead focus on the solution, on how to improve or get things done. Stop blaming others or victimizing yourself.

All the blame or resistance is from the Ego and it doesn’t help at all to keep dwelling on it. What we focus on, expands.

Accept & Let Go

Of course there were incidents when I lost my temper. I sat down and looked within, at my emotions. I learnt to accept things as they are and release all unwanted emotions. Know that we can’t change others or rather that it is not within our control to do so. Why don’t we change our feelings towards external situation or people instead?

After my self-reflection sessions when I had completed my inner work, I felt much more at peace within; I was able to move forward in my work with him. My focus on preparing him for his music exam was clearer and my teaching strategy was well planned.

I gradually became more patient when teaching him. And I did not feel any less passionate even when he did not play well. I just gave my best in every lesson.

From one incident to another, I increased my self-confidence and strived to improve my attitude and behavior towards other people and situations. When there were conflicts, I focused on changing myself.

We can master our own thoughts and emotions. It may take time for self-mastery, but we should never give up, just keep on going. We can choose to make changes within ourselves to gain inner peace.

Nature’s Role in Mental Resilience

The Noise of Misunderstanding

In today’s world, the discussion around mental health has become increasingly prominent, especially among younger audiences. However, with this increased focus, there’s also a growing concern: the misinterpretation of what mental health and well-being truly mean. Social media, with its overuse of terms like “human right,” “mental health,” and “well-being,” often muddies the waters, leading many of us down a path of confusion rather than clarity. It’s easy to get lost in the noise and lose sight of the essence of these concepts.

Chasing a False Ideal

The Oxford dictionary offers a tidy definition of well-being: “the state of being healthy, happy, or prosperous; physical, psychological, or moral welfare.” But how realistic is it to sustain this state at every moment? The pursuit of constant happiness and prosperity can feel overwhelming, and often, it seems unattainable. This pressure to always be “well” can lead to feelings of inadequacy when we inevitably fall short.

Two years ago, I found myself grappling with this very issue. My then-coach, now CEO, asked me, “Are you ready to walk the path of truth?” At that time, I was entrenched in depression, unsure of what “truth” he was referring to. Was it the secret to success in the ESG market? Or perhaps the uncomfortable reality of our limited control over climate change?

Today, I understand that the “path of truth” is about acceptance—of things as they are and, most importantly, of myself. This journey towards self-acceptance has been challenging, as it is often easier to recognize flaws and strengths in others than in oneself. Yet, this realization has been crucial in abandoning the habit of defining my well-being by external actions and expectations.

Embracing Equanimity and Unlearning

Instead of striving for an impossible state of perpetual well-being, I shifted my focus to building resilience and acceptance. Cultivating equanimity—a state of mental calmness and composure—has become my foundation. This practice, rooted in Vipassana meditation, has taught me to observe my thoughts without judgment, leading to a healthier mindset.

During a period of deep depression, I was consumed by fear and trapped in a cycle of rumination. Negative thoughts had become habitual, making life feel more complicated and overwhelming. The frustration of hurting those around me pushed me to seek change, but breaking free from this mental trap wasn’t easy.

Inspired by Dr. Qing Li’s “Shinrin-yoku” (Forest Bathing), I embarked on a silent retreat in a rainforest treehouse. Over three days, I immersed myself in nature, practicing techniques to calm my mind. The first two days brought an awareness of my pain, anxiety, and depression, but without the pleasure I had hoped for—only a sense of calm.

On the third day, however, something shifted. Meditating by a waterfall in complete silence, I felt a lightness that had eluded me for so long. The negativity lifted, and for the first time, I opened up to my parents about my struggles, breaking a long-held habit of bottling up my emotions.

Reconnecting with Our True Nature

This experience taught me the power of unlearning—shedding old habits and cultivating new, healthier ones. This process is vital for overcoming depression and other mental health challenges. In our chaotic, comparison-driven world, finding silence and space to look inward is essential. The root of many mental health issues lies in systems that create chaos and disconnect us from the natural world, leaving us feeling lost.

To break free from the cycle of mental illness, we must learn to reconnect with nature and, in doing so, reconnect with ourselves. Lasting resilience and well-being are achievable, but they require us to reforge our bond with the natural world and embrace the simple, yet profound, truths it offers.

IWD Special – I See You: Finding Self-Love Beyond Perfection

The Power of Recognition

I remember the first morning of 2023 vividly, as a dedicated fan of the “Avatar’ series, I found myself alone in the cinema, immersed in the world of “The Way of Water”. The Nav’vi’s greeting, “I see you”, struck a chord in me, especially when Jake said it to this son. It was more than a phrase; it was an affirmation of seeing and acknowledging someone truly and completely. It moved me deeply, and I broke down into tears immediately.

This simple, heartfelt phrase from the movie resonated with me, highlighting the importance of seeing and accepting oneself with the same equality and heart-centered love that the Na’vi did.

This encounter made me ponder on my own journey of self-growth and critique. As I reflected on this experience, a question lingered: Have I ever truly seen and honored myself without the harsh lens of self-criticism? Have I ever afforded myself the same recognition?

The Struggle for Self-Approval

While embracing body positivity and self-love, I’ve openly discussed my struggles with self-criticism in “Birthing The New Beautiful Me”. Life, with all its beauty, presents a journey where growth expands consciousness and perspectives.

I have established a tradition to embrace one new endeavor annually. This year, 2024, is dedicated to cultivating a healthier lifestyle, a phase of life where my body demands the attention previously devoted to my mind and soul.

However, as I progressed in my health journey, shedding weight and forming healthier eating habits, I found myself grappling with inner turmoil. Compliments on my changing appearance sparked an unexpected anger, revealing unresolved emotions simmering within.

I struggled to accept compliments, unable to see the efforts I had made and the new, healthier me others praised. This disbelief sparked a deeper fear, the thought that my progress was too unreal to trust.

Life’s every aspect began to overwhelm me. My journey to wellness ironically became a source of stress, the very thing known to counteract weight loss efforts. It was almost comical, being stressed about being stressed.

Eventually, the emotional weight was too heavy, and I found myself crying at work. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. My colleagues, wise in the ways of holistic wellness, offered guidance. They encouraged me to delve into self-discovery, to illuminate the parts of me I had overlooked.

As I confronted the compliments I couldn’t accept, it dawned on me: was I truly seeing myself? Even though I had come to see my own beauty, yet conflicting feelings about my weight remained, highlighting the irony of my stance on body positivity. My efforts to improve were fueled by a sense of lack, rather than self-love. This revelation made me resistant to compliments, reinforcing a belief that I was still insufficient and continuously in need of fixing.

Embracing Imperfection

When I stopped trying to fix every perceived flaw, and accepted my struggle with body positivity, tranquility and peace ensued. Recognizing the need to accept what I had resisted opened a pathway to true release. I began to see myself anew, with a sense of honour inspired by the profound connections portrayed in “Avatar”.

I see me in the mirror,
Filled with flaws on my face,
Excessive skin on my body,
Extra fats that stored in body,
To make me feel safe.

I see me in the mirror,
Accepting that this is me,
Embracing all these that I told myself is not,

I see me in the mirror,
Falling in love with me,
Gazing deeper, with honour, respect, and
with joy.

I see me.
I see me, again.

*Feeling less than thrilled with your body? It’s time to swap self-criticism for self-love! Celebrate with us at the Loving My Body event this International Women’s Day – a day dedicated to kindness, love and embracing your true self with open arms! , be the first 15 and stay the entire day to receive a surprise gift worth RM490!
*T&C apply

The Magical Bridge Of Faith

Volume 8

A Magical Bridge

Once upon a time, a man stood at the edge of a very high cliff. This special cliff did not let you just turn around and go back, for there was no turning back. The man had two choices.

He could stay there for the rest of his life or move on beyond the cliff toward the mountain on the other side. The cliff symbolizes the crossroads of life where one is either stuck or takes a leap of faith to move forward despite not knowing what might happen.

Finally, he decided to do it. To simply take the leap of faith.

He stepped forward, trusting in his heart that life and the Universe were supporting him. As he stepped onto what he saw as just empty space, part of a bridge magically appeared under his foot! Feeling happy, he shouted with relief, “Hey, this is trust! This is faith! The Universe is with me!”

With each step forward, the magical bridge kept appearing under his feet. Everything seemed beautiful and good. Even when there were challenges, he kept reminding himself, “Don’t look back, just keep moving.”

Everything seemed perfectly bright and sunny. Suddenly, things changed. The sky darkened, and a storm rushed in. The man asked, “Hey, I’ve already made the choice to move, so why is the Universe putting me in this situation? I’ve done my part by trusting life. Where is the beautiful sky and why is it raining? Why can’t I see the bridge anymore?” It was difficult to see the small and narrow bridge up ahead. The man was worried as he really wanted to get to the mountain on the other side.

Despite his great fear and doubt, he didn’t give in. “Never mind. I will continue to trust…” He closed his eyes, followed his heart and kept walking forward. Miraculously, the bridge continued to form under his feet! He remained safe whilst moving forward on his journey, thus learning that trust was required on both sunny and stormy days. By just following his heart, he would eventually arrive victorious on top of his mountain.

Suddenly, the bridge became shaky. It felt as if it was about to collapse! “Since I trusted the Universe on sunny and rainy days, why should this happen now?” he worried. His only choice was to move ahead because it was too far to turn back.

Patiently, he took each step with his heart in the space of stillness and he landed safely on the bridge. His lesson was to continue with trust and faith, even when life was shaky.

Then, out of the blue on the next day, the bridge collapsed! The man tumbled all the way down into the ocean. Blaming the Universe, he asked, “Why? I did everything that I needed to. I trusted and held my faith. Why am I down here instead of up there on the bridge?”

And this is what happens to many people – they lose trust and doubt when things do not work out the way they had expected it to.

There was no other choice than to save himself. Pulling out from the ocean, he continued again on his journey up the mountain. But it was different this time. He progressed on to a higher height in his life. That became his ascension, moving to the next level of light, to finally arrive at the top of the mountain.

The story could continue endlessly. Because that’s what life is about – coming face to face with challenges and feeling fear, yet moving forward with trust and faith. And arriving at the top of one mountain, and the next mountain, and the next …

Lessons On Trust & Faith

Faith Is Unconditional Through Good & Bad

Trust and faith, like love, is unconditional. When you place conditions on your trust and faith, it can never be true trust and faith. Like the man in the story, you may not see the next step or that invisible bridge before you. Though you don’t know what will happen next, you still trust that there will always be something there for you.

During good times people say, “The Universe is with me because of the good things in my beautiful life.” On the other hand, they blame life and other people for bad situations because they can’t see the love in bad situations. 5 years later they may declare, “Without that bad situation, I wouldn’t be here today. I wouldn’t be who I am today. I am so proud to have gone through that experience.” The realization that it was a gift happens only after 5 years! In the meantime, they blame their brothers, sisters, parents, and the entire world.

See the goodness in each fall. Sometimes a person asks for A, and life gives him B because B serves him better. Instead he blames, and fails to trust. That’s when he doesn’t see. Life is like that.

Faith Is A Choice

When you make up your mind, you just walk with the Universe as if a guide is holding your hand. You cannot see it but you can feel love in every part of your life. That teaches you to have gratitude in your heart and appreciate life.

Faith is a matter of choice to trust the unseen, life, what one may call the Universe. To trust that life supports you. And that no matter what happens, life will show you a bigger picture as you move to a greater height of love.

Faith Means Following Your Heart

Your heart empowers you whereas your mind disempowers you. It’s that simple. Your heart empowers you to achieve your dream, to think bigger and to be fearless. Whereas your mind casts doubts and fears. It always analyzes and stops you from moving forward while your heart keeps you moving. Always follow your heart.

Faith Is Courage

Normally, people with big problems standing at the edge of the cliff, will doubt. They will sit there at the edge, waiting, not moving, as fear builds up and clouds their minds and hearts. Perhaps they may insist, “I have no choice. Life has put me in this situation, making me jobless, sick, depressed…” and continue to repeat that to themselves and others.

A second group may be encouragingly saying to themselves, “Let’s take a leap of faith!” They had taken the first leap, but the second time around, they look at the bridge, thinking, “What if one day I take another step on this invisible bridge and it’s the end of the path?”

Instead of moving on, they return to the edge of the cliff and behave like the first group. They say, “I have tried. I did my part in trusting, but I’m still depressed.” Nothing will happen after that, because they didn’t continue their journey. It’s as simple as that. They had trusted halfway, then stopped and turned back. They then blame life.

There is a third group. They will go all the way like the man in the story. They move forward, be it rain or shine, and even when everything seems lost. Picking themselves up, they courageously move on with trust in life, and faith in the Universe that they will arrive at a greater height in life.

Faith Is Taking The First Step To Action

For some people, following the heart is not an issue – it’s taking the first step to listen to the heart and really acting on it that is difficult. Yet, action is the key, and that is what many dare not do. Taking action reduces your fear because you stop feeding the fear, thereby making it easier to move. And most of the time, thereby making it easier to move. And most of the time, the fear doesn’t materialize, making one more courageous step to move even faster.

Taking the first step is important in matters of faith and to continue action without stopping. If you stop you will stay on the invisible bridge or make a U-turn. The journey of life is a continuous one. Life is like riding a bicycle. Keep moving to stay balanced. Once you stop pedaling, you will fall, so don’t even think of stopping.

Faith Is Trusting People

Can we have faith in people when people sometimes disappoint us?

I would say yes. Trusting life and people are the same, because without people there wouldn’t be life. Society is part of the system of life. When you trust life, you trust anything and everything that happens, that comes your way, and you know that everything is happening for your highest good. And that’s it.

Faith Is Faith Itself

The funny thing is people rather choose fear than faith. People ask me, “Why put my trust in faith when it is something I can’t see or prove?” But I ask them, “Can you see fear? Yet you place your trust in fear! And you don’t question that!”

People don’t question fear. They do not ask, “Why should I fear?” Instead it is always, “Why should I have faith?” They cannot “see” fear just like they cannot “see” faith but they choose to be fearful rather than to be faithful. That’s funny.

You tell people, “You should forgive, you should love.” But they will ask, “Why should I forgive?” Yet when they are angry, they don’t ask, “Why should I be angry?” People don’t ask “Why should I be angry?”, but they will ask, “Why should I love?”

How To Have Trust & Faith

There is no “how” to it, just do it! That’s the very meaning of faith. Take the leap of faith yourself or something will happen one day that is going to push you off the cliff… and that something is called life.

In short, your two choices are jumping off the cliff first and letting life unfold itself, or sitting at the edge of the cliff, paralyzed with fear.

People don’t trust. We stubbornly cling on to things that we are used to. And so we just stand at the edge of the cliff, not taking any action and not being able to move forward. That’s why sometimes the Universe will say, “Just let go.” That’s what we need to do. But people resist.

Faith is so abstract, and yet so amazingly beautiful when experienced with a realized mind.

Embracing Self-Love in the Face of Addiction

In a society where addiction silently weaves into the fabric of everyday life, my brother’s story is a stark echo.

The Invisible Chain of Habits

As a child, he was my hero, an acclaimed cyclist with two German championships under his belt. His later years in Munich, though less connected to our family, seemed successful on the surface, marked by love and stability, even owning a home. Yet, beneath this veneer, a relentless addiction to alcohol quietly eroded the foundations of his life.

His relationships, while heartfelt, cycled through hope and despair. Each partner sought to anchor him, to be the beacon guiding him away from the storm of his addiction. They built a family, welcoming a child with love— a love that briefly steadied him. But the relentless tide of dependency returned, sweeping away his partnership, his fatherhood, and his place in the world.

As his life began to crumble, the condominium was lost, and so were the ties that bound him to a stable existence. He drifted between the streets and rehabilitation, a specter in the family’s life, present only in sparse messages, leaving us grasping for whispers of his well-being.

The Subtle Descent into Dependency

I often pondered why his path led to addiction, while mine did not. After taking him in during one of his lows, he recovered quickly, and we cherished our time together until he vanished once more. The hidden bottles revealed the silent burden of his departure. He never intended to trouble anyone with his addiction; he would quietly withdraw, avoiding the impact of his struggles on those around him.

It started with a harmless beer after work, which turned into a habit, a balm for his unaddressed issues and desires. This routine deepened into an addiction, a loss of control he didn’t seem to resist, for he, like every addict, had his reasons.

It was later I learned that addiction stems from a search — a search that, in one way or another, we’re all undertaking…

The Power of Inner Fulfillment

During a retreat, I grasped that happiness isn’t about external searches—it’s recognizing the abundance within. Perspective is reality; see your life as half-full, and you embrace joy. We all possess happiness, attention, and love internally; realizing this shapes a resilient life.

My brother, once robust with triumphs, also faced his shadows. Recognizing the negatives is essential, as is finding love within to shield against life’s pressures. Yet, we must stay conscious of our current desires and their roots.

Seeking happiness through others, valuing oneself by wealth, or mistaking attention for love, can lead to dependency. Unseen addictions, even to money, hint at deeper voids often filled with vices. Addictions often intertwine, leaving the inner void unfulfilled.

Therefore, find love within, and it will reveal itself to you. Once discovered, you can fully love and accept yourself. True self-love allows you to offer love to others unconditionally. Harmonized with your essence, you can give genuinely, for all you need resides within you.

A Path to Love, Gratitude, and Self-Discovery

Revisiting our initial query: Are we all addicts in some way? Modern economies capitalize on those seeking external joy. Products promising attention, exclusivity, or satisfaction feed this quest. Yet, the joy they offer is fleeting, always leaving us wanting more.

Happiness shouldn’t hinge on material possessions to avoid dependency. When it does, we miss the true wealth of life’s experiences, consumed by envy and dissatisfaction, causing suffering in various forms.

Social media confuses attention with love. ‘Likes’ and comments are fleeting, not equating to love. True love offers something deeper than perpetual attention.

The answer to our deepest yearnings lies within reach, yet it can feel distant. Social media’s fleeting ‘likes’ and the temporary joy from material possessions highlight a deeper longing for something more fulfilling. To find this fulfillment and embark on a path of love and gratitude, consider these steps:

1. Meditate and Practice Forgiveness: Regular meditation helps clear the noise of daily life, allowing us to forgive past grievances, fostering a deeper sense of inner peace and self-love.
2. Connection with Your Higher Self and Your Heart: By attuning to our higher selves, we tap into an innate wisdom and love at the core of our being, guiding us towards authentic happiness.
3. Breathe in Universal Love: Take moments to breathe deeply, visualizing the love of the universe entering your heart with each breath. This practice can fill you with a sense of connection and wholeness.

Embrace these practices and you may discover that the true wealth of life’s experiences lies in the love and gratitude we cultivate within ourselves. As I continue to appreciate life’s splendors and share love and zest, I hope you too will find your own path to a fulfilling and gratified life.

WAKING UP TO INNER PEACE

Volume 16

Seizing The Day

To remain sane and balanced in today’s hectic and fast-paced world, we need to learn to embrace life and its many challenges. Incorporating a simple daily mindfulness practice will help us be in the present moment, feel more calm and peaceful, to handle every situation and every person that we come into contact with.

During our TTDI Park Sunday sessions – we call them “Wake UP” sessions because we want people to wake up early (obviously!) and seize the day – we get wonderful feedback from participants. Through these sessions, participants become aware of where they are in life, where they want to go, and their true desires. They also get to identify their blockages and action plans to manifest their goals.

After completing mindfulness exercises and meditating in nature, the participants would find that they have better focus, tend to be more creative and have smoother relationships with others.

They get clearer on issues whether at work, with their health or with their families. Mind you, some of these are serious issues that have been plaguing them along time.

A lady who had trouble getting a good night’s sleep claims that after the previous week’s mindfulness meditation, she managed to sleep a lot better. The benefits of our “Wake UP”sessions go on and on.

The Path To Inner Peace

When I started my daily mindfulness regimen a few years ago, I too started experiencing a plethora of benefits. There are far too many of them to list here but the most important was the deep sense of inner peace, something which I (and many of you reading this), have been wanting so desperately.

And I dare say that this has been one of the most significant milestones in my life: achieving an “unshaken sense of inner peace” that seems to reverberate throughout my being with the knowing that “All is Well”.

When we start to “live mindfully”, we hold our lives and the lives of others in the highest reverence. We see no difference between us and the rest of the world.

We begin to appreciate and embrace the interconnectedness of everything on our planet. We feel more love and compassion for each other and soon, with peace and joy in our hearts, we set the stage for world peace to become a reality in our lifetime.

Here are 4 simple steps to Inner Peace:

1. Sit comfortably in a quiet place, preferably in the outdoors (bare feet firmly on the grass). Take 5 slow but deep breaths, by this time your heartbeat has slowed down and you feel gentle and calm, but alert.
2. With the next in-breath, instruct all your pores to breathe with you. And with your out-breath, your pores “exhale” with you. So now, your whole body is breathing as a unit. Do 5 sets of this “inhale and exhale whole body breathing”, in a calm and relaxed manner.
3. Now, imagine that there are thick solid roots growing from the soles of your feet connecting you to the core of the planet, to the heart of Mother Earth. Feel the intensity of the support and love that shoot up from the core to your feet right up to your heart. Allow that energy to flow into your whole body. Be in this moment. Revel in this sensation.
4. When you are done, gently open your eyes. How do you feel? Charged up? Alert, with a sense of calmness? Feeling supported? Are you experiencing a deep sense of inner peace? Imagine your everyday interactions being infused with harmony, peace, love and happiness!

Do share the above visualization freely with everyone you meet!

*Join us for an invigorating experience at the newly rebranded “Nature Connection” (formerly “Wake-Up”), happening on 17th December 2023 at Bukit Jalil Recreational Park. Immerse yourself in nature’s embrace and rejuvenate your spirit. Registrations are now open! Secure your spot for this exciting outdoor event by visiting . We can’t wait to see you amidst the beauty of nature!

The Wisdom Of Patience

Patience is the ability to accept and tolerate delays, problems or suffering without anxiety or annoyance. Wisdom is the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment, all of which require the passing of time.

Many people around me, especially at work, sees me as an agreeable, “patient” sort of fellow although I don’t feel that way at all. My wife complains that I am like the “slow mo” version of her, and my sister gets all worked up because she says I am too tolerant of things.

The funny thing is that I have never considered myself to be a patient man despite all the feedback that I get. Maybe I’m selectively impatient; or maybe I’m impatient but I keep it all bottled up in me. Or maybe I have high expectations of myself.

What I hear from people about my patience and what I feel inside don’t sync for me. I still feel I’m still kind of impatient although I have improved tremendously since I started practicing meditation.

Here’s a list of what used to my pet peeves when it came to triggering my “impatient” switch and with it, how meditation practice has helped me realize important things about waiting, patience and myself.

Traffic Jams That Never End

I can still remember the tension, and even anger, that I felt as I sat there in the car waiting for some movement – any movement – so that I could get out of those traffic jams and back to my life. Why the jam? Why did the entire city population have to come out and drive when I was driving? Why did life have to have so many obstacles to where I want to go?

What meditation taught me about patience in traffic jams:

• Waiting forces us into the present moment. The zooming in of our attention on how we are “wasting” precious seconds now actually makes us mindful of the moment, which is something we should take note of.
• Waiting patiently is practicing peace. Patience is the peace in our hearts regardless of the external situation. Where there’s peace, anger finds no space to occupy.
• Reasons are not needed to be patient. In fact, reasons hamper patience because reasons seek to justify. Patience, like love, needs no justification for someone or something to be there with us.
• Patience is unselfish and generous. Everything and everyone around us have the right to exist just like us, sharing the same space with us. We should acknowledge and honor their presence.
• Obstacles in life do not block us but take us higher. The destination is really not as great a reward as the journey itself because it’s the journey, with its wonderful obstacles, are what makes us grow to be bigger and stronger. And that’s the true reward.

Reptition

I was never been a fan of sameness. I found sameness boring, like watching television re-runs. I liked the excitement and freshness of the new. Why repeat? Why did it have to be the same day after day? Why did life have to so boring?

What meditation taught me about patience in repetition:

• Meditating in itself is repetition, repeating moments of “doing nothing”. And that’s what’s so contradictory about it because meditation has shown me that in that nothing is everything. Questions have been answered, noises have been quietened and peace has been restored.
• Repetition is learning. The process of repeating something over and over is how we learn. When I first started to meditate, I had the problems that almost all beginners have: restlessness, can’t concentrate, unable to sit cross-legged for long, etc. But through repetition I had overcome all those difficulties and today I can sit for hours meditating without problem.
• Repetition disciplines and refines us. Doing something repetitively somehow disciplines us. It helps build mental and emotional strength and endurance thereby shaping character. Repetition refines us into the perfect diamond that we can be.
• Repetition changes us. To make a change in attitude or behavior, we need to repeat the emotion, thought and action over and over until our old attitude or behavior is replaced by the new one. This is why it is not enough to do something once to change (there are however exceptions in the case of very wilful people). If we are serious about making a change, then we must repeat the attitude or behavior until the new one becomes ingrained in us.

What in the end was I impatient about? Did I have so many things going in my life that I didn’t have time to stop and smell roses or give time to other people? What was I saving time for? Was it to do the same thing that I had been doing for years? In the end, isn’t time being in the moment with people and events, with love in my heart, time well spent?

Patience never rushes, neither does wisdom. Wisdom is the aggregation of all that we have experienced in time and with time. Like patience, wisdom is a child of time.

Patience is a great teacher. Like wisdom, it changes us. And great patience can change not only one individual but the whole of humanity. This is its wisdom.

Use USB Type-L For Relationship Reconnection

L for Love that is. After several years of being together, years of only meeting one another for just a few hours at night, just the two of you alone, you may feel very disconnected from your spouse or long-term partner. Even date nights can become routine. Most magazines out there will tell you to improve your sex life, which is great and all but what about reconnecting in other ways too?

We often don’t share much with one another anymore. We also don’t express our love and gratitude with deep emotion. Even saying “I love you” to one another, can become routine after awhile.

Are you starting to feel confused because you have been feeling lonely lately? Do you spend time wishing you could reverse time, back to the days you couldn’t wait to be together? Do you sometimes use ‘work’ as an excuse to avoid awkward pauses during dinner when you don’t know what to say? Or are you starting to treat your partner like another colleague or housemate?

Try out some of these suggestions, initially all these may seem awkward but over time, it will get easier and your efforts will pay off:

1. Share something special about your day before you go to bed

Ensure that you do it from the heart instead of from the head…i.e instead of “I made RM2000 today”, add in “…and it made me feel….”. It doesn’t have to be something momentous but it has to be something that really means something to you. And really listen when your spouse reflects on what happened to him that day.

2. Thank your spouse for doing whatever he or she does to make your life easier

Share with your spouse what you love about him or her or you can even thank him or her for doing simple things like folding the laundry or ordering in food. It may be something small but it’s something that makes a difference in your day or life. I hate washing clothes so I tell my husband that I appreciate him doing the laundry. My colleague appreciates that his wife always ensures that he has something to eat for dinner, whether she cooks it herself or not. Occasionally close an eye, or two if your partner does some things that you dislike, use unconditional love to keep you going.

3. Start making life decisions that are good for your marriage first then yourselves as individuals

We are used to spending most of our days at work so much so that we often make important decisions that benefit our career first, or that make us more money – for the family, we tell ourselves, but mainly because you want to keep the boss/colleague/client happy. Rarely do we make decisions that are good for the marriage or ourselves as a couple. This may create tension between the two of you, especially if it involves people who in some way threaten your relationship. Make your relationship a priority for once.

4. When you are discussing anything, add humor appropriately and positivity

When you talk about something from a positive perspective or focus on the plus points rather than the negative points, positivity just takes over and affects your behavior towards each other. And serious matters may seem easier to handle. It breaks the dark cloud hanging over the conversation. It makes you feel at one with each other.

5. Go to bed at the same time as much as possible.

When we end the day together, we are sending out the energy that we are partners living a shared life together, therefore we are “closing the day” together. Aim to get in bed together as often as you can even if it’s just to sleep. It’s something special between the two of you as it’s not something that happens with anyone else.

Most importantly though we need to admit that we can’t blame this disconnection on each other, it takes two to clap. Admit that years of prioritizing everything else has taken its toll on your relationship. Take responsibility and agree to move on differently, together.

6 TIPS TO JOURNALING FOR SELF-DISCOVERY

We live in a world where there is, in  general, a basic freedom of expression.  Many express freely in social media these days. Whether it is something positive or negative, this is an “outward expression” of self.

However, there is also an “inward expression” of self which we can cultivate, because when done with the right intention, this can lead us to a revelation and understanding of self.  That is what journaling is about.

Journaling can help you to experience a sense of freedom, feel free to express your heart’s desire.

There are many types of journaling. Some are more general, while some are more specific, based on certain themes such as gratitude, health, career, self-care, and many more. To me, there isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. It is basically allowing the space for you to express yourself.  Drawing or doodling develops our creative side. A drawing tells a thousand words.

If you are new to journaling and wish to embark on the journey, yet are unsure where to start, here are a few tips on starting:

1. Setting Your Intention

• It is always good practice to set an intention before starting something. This will help keep you aligned with your objectives whenever you need reminders on why you started.

2. Sacred Time & Space

• Pick a time and space where you feel most comfortable. Preferable somewhere without distractions. You can choose to be in total silence or if you wish, play some soft soothing music in the background. Consider this as a sacred time and space for you to connect with soul.

3. Express Freely

• Journaling is not only about expressing and writing about what makes you feel good. Sometimes we have bad days. We can write about what we experience throughout the day, it is a form of acknowledgment as well as expression.
• At the end of journaling, perhaps you can even include what realizations you got through that experience or reflect on what changes you would make the next time you have a similar encounter.  You never know, you may find yourself coming up with creative ways of dealing with the issue at hand.

4. Types Of Journal

• Random journal : You can write different things on different days. There are many examples and ideas that you can find online.
• Goal-oriented journal : As an example, you may want to have better health, and decide to eat well, also include some physical exercise. You can write down the goals you want to achieve, the deadline to reach this goal and your plan to achieve your goal.  Then you can start a tracking list to track your personal progress including your thoughts, feelings and food intake.

5. Using Colors & Creativity

• I personally feel adding color to your life (in this case, while journaling) makes it more fun and expressive. You can use some color pencils, coloured pens or even stickers. It is also a great way to kick start that creativity in you.
• Explore bullet points, tracking calendars, doodles or even a combination, follow the mood of the day!

6. Quotes

• Adding positive quotes that resonate with you into your journal can serve as a reminder of how great life can be and keep you on the upward momentum of positivity!

These are just a few tips to get you started. Remember journaling is a fun journey. So have fun while unleashing your expression of creativity!

THE SANCTUARY CALLED FAMILY
Volume 4

11 April, Dear Diary,

Today, I looked at the to-do list on my calendar and found myself smiling. A while back, I would have felt my heart beat faster, and the blood pounding in my ears, as I most likely would not have completed anything yet! OK, ok, so it does still happen, occasionally, I admit.

But I also used to ask myself why I felt that I had to try to be the best at everything (is that a good thing or not?) and why I had to fill up my days with as many activities, as possible. Perhaps it was so that I would feel that I had made the most of the day and did not waste any precious time. You see I am an adult child of an alcoholic. Yes and we have a need to be perfect.

It used to be so important that I dress a certain way, went to the right university, married at the right time, got the right kind of job, things had to be just perfect (as in, approved by everyone else). And you know what, because everything had to be perfect, I would procrastinate, because I would never be ready to start something or finish it (it was never good enough yet!).

Yes, many of us do procrastinate, and it does sometimes feel as if all of us come from dysfunctional families, doesn’t it? Well, that is because no one and thus no family is perfect.

Troubled Family Systems

There are a lot of ups and downs in a family as we go through several stages in a family life cycle. Each stage is also affected by a whole lot of things such as individual interests and life cycles of each family member. All families have issues and conflicts; although some are worse than others, it is how they handle these that matter.

When someone experiences trauma and pain from their parents’ or a family member’s actions, words and attitudes, they grow up changed, missing essential parts of parenting that prepare them for adulthood and they then assume unnatural roles in their families. These roles help to rebalance their family and allow it to survive.

For example, if one had an irresponsible parent that person would assume the responsibility and play hero so that the family can proceed “like normal” (and thus everyone is happy). One might resort to behaviors that help one to cope with this pain and later may even feel compelled to repeat the abuses done unto one on one’s own children. It then becomes ingrained in oneself that these distorted patterns of relating are normal and it becomes difficult to see things differently.

Dr. Janet Kizziar, a renowned American psychologist, characterizes four types of “troubled family systems” –

• the alcoholic or chemically dependent family system,
• the emotionally or psychologically disturbed family system,
• the physically or sexually abusing family system and
• the authoritarian religious fundamentalist or rigidly dogmatic family system.

These families don’t talk about their problems. Their behaviors encourage people to think of some members as more important than others. They don’t have much fun together, resulting in children who later become adults who have unrealistic expectations of themselves (perfectionism); are fearful of taking risks, have unnatural needs for approval or fear abandonment from others or who are over-controlling or act like martyrs, living for others, instead of themselves.

9 June, Dear Diary,

Today, during the course of my work, I attracted a client, Anita* who shared that she was feeling anxious and was unable to sleep as she had recurring nightmares that she will fail in her exam (even though she is a straight A’s student). She started crying when she said that she could not talk to her mother, although she wanted to, about this. Anita’s mother is mentally ill. Anita is often asked to forsake her own feelings to keep the peace so that her mother’s symptoms are not aggravated. However she is afraid of finding avenues to let go of the frustrations that she has suppressed deep inside her as she deems it inappropriate to show too much feelings.

Ben* feels that he is not doing enough for his family and would like help managing his timetable so that he can do so. He shared that he tries to help his mother (his father abandoned the family) as much as he can and yet what he does is never enough or good enough. His mother takes her frustrations of being a single mother out on him by constantly saying that he is useless. Ben is well-liked by his friends and is a good student.

Codependency In Families

These young adults come from dysfunctional families and their situations describe “codependency”, that is, when one family member gives excuses for another member’s (a dependent) behavior and becomes obsessed with that member’s issues and responsibilities.

This continues to the extent that she or he loses interest in her or his own life. Most people are codependent because of the mistaken unconscious idea that self-worth comes from other people. Thus people who are codependent aren’t able to see the consequences of their own actions when they sacrifice for others.

Unresolved patterns of codependency can lead to various disorders such as self-destructive and self-defeating behaviors, alcoholism, and eating disorders. Recovering codependents often feel like a pendulum; they may swing from one extreme of being overly aggressive or excessively selfish to developing a “victim mentality”.

It is not always easy to find the balance. In fact to find the balance one may need to swing from one extreme to the other, to know and experience what is and what is not before coming to an understanding of having a bit of both; that is settling for the middle ground.

I now love myself first. My son would often say, “Mum, I know everything that you do is for my well-being” and I would reply, “Sometimes it is also for my well-being too.” He would respond with, “Your well-being is my well-being, isn’t it?”

Parenting requires a balance between self-sacrifice and prioritizing your own needs. Parents who take care of themselves first are healthier caretakers than those who sacrifice their lives for their children and thus becomes codependent towards their own children. Examples are parents who live their own dreams out by forcing these dreams onto their children, or who are unable to cut the apron strings as they would feel lost without their children depending on them (i.e. “helicopter parents”).

12 September, Dear Diary,

Today, my teenage son accidently broke the souvenir we bought from a very special place and did not apologize. My first reaction if I were to react before responding with love, would be to berate him for being clumsy or uncaring. This is a normal socialized reaction, so I stopped to ask first if he were ok and to enquire what happened. Even when one does shout or scream, it is also important to note that one can always apologize. Love is humble and humbling. Parents who push their adult children away using cruel words because they feel it’s time they cut away the apron strings, or because they need to engage in a power struggle; end up hurting everyone involved. I strongly believe that deep down families love each other and want to forgive one another.

Unconditional Love

Love becomes conditional when it only fulfills the needs of the person giving it and not the person being offered this love. How many times have you heard the saying that a mother’s love is unconditional and yet you also hear a mother berating her child for not following her instructions or acting a certain way and then refusing to talk to the child. A young child’s first love is his or her parent. Give the child a beautiful experience of Love.

I am not encouraging all the parents out there to throw discipline out of the window, neither am I encouraging parents to be “friends” with their children. But I do ask parents to pause when approaching any situation with a child and ask themselves, “Am I about to do what love would want me to do?” or “Will I feel better about the situation after I do this?”

And why would you want to be your child’s “friend”? Parents are parents for special reasons, it is a most honorable job. You are a caretaker for a precious soul reawakening to multitudes of possibilities. Children have their own friends. They need parents who love and care for them even when they make “mistakes”, to teach them to learn from those mistakes and accept the consequences rather than making excuses.

Parents should let children explore, but catch them when they fall – even when the children ignore their advice totally! In fundamentalist, dogmatic or authoritarian families, parents trespass on children’s rights to think for themselves. These children may need to re-empower themselves as adults and develop appropriate boundaries when demands are placed upon them by others as they go through their adult lives.

5 December, Dear Diary,

Today, my husband told me that we should talk more. So we agreed that we would both have to say “No” to some work responsibilities even when it means looking like we are less responsible at work, so that we can spend more time together. You know, it is strange how often you hear people saying that family should come first in all situations but they usually mean their children and parents, as they often do not include their spouses. People often forget that if it were not for the original couple there wouldn’t be a family and this is a very important relationship that also requires nurturing.

The All-Inclusive Family

Healthy families take every member’s needs into consideration. Members care for the growth as well as the welfare of individual members. They are able to spend quality and quantity time together and share their thoughts and feelings. They show appreciation for each other’s natural roles and are able to deal with crises in a positive manner.

Re-Conditioning The Family Through An Awakening

Changing negative conditioning can be done through several ways – counseling, self-affirmations and becoming more self and spiritually aware through attending self-explorative and healing workshops, to name a few. Getting in touch with your Soul, your authentic Self through spiritual awakening is a wonderful, healing experience!

One may live in fear that the dysfunctional member of family may come along and “spoil things for me”. We mustn’t allow anyone to do that. When one’s response to a situation is unexpected and one is in danger of losing control of one’s emotions, one has probably been triggered by an unconscious memory in one’s DNA left over from childhood or a past life. Work with it, don’t shove it away. “I am in full control of my life and can remake it into anything I wish”.

Family Is The Sanctuary

Now when I look at my calendar and wonder if I should give up on certain activities to make life “easier” for myself, I remind myself that the people I do these activities and share my passions with have become like family, in fact they are family. How  can you quit on family?

Family is forever. Even when I am alone, they are always there in some part of me. Now, all my families, the one I come from, the ones I joined, the ones I help create; affirm what I now know, that I am a valuable part of the Universe and I have an important part to play. I have a contract to complete. More than that, family is my sanctuary, my sacred shrine and my spiritual path.

* Names have been changed and stories modified to protect the confidentiality of the individuals involved.

TURNING TOWARD THE LIGHT
Volume 25

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” ~ Carl Jung.

When the shadow of Covid-19 started its descent upon our world, it was without warning. The loss of control we all felt was real. We had spent years ignoring our emotions and not facing the truth in our relationships. This episode of staying put, is triggering our humanness – the emotions of fear and anxiety. Yet because we were unable to distract ourselves with TV, travel, chatting or shopping, our emotions may long start to overwhelm us.

In the past 3 months, have you worked through enough of your shadow? Have you taken this beautiful opportunity to become a better friend, a better human being?

Walking the path to being the highest version of ourselves takes effort, work and the heart to live and be our true authentic selves. However, we all come with the baggage of the past (programmed by self or others) and it’s imperative for one to come face-to-face with one’s shadow before we turn toward the light.

The Shadow Self

Carl Jung, who has written extensively about shadow work, had said, “The shadow is a living part of the personality and therefore wants to live with it in some form. It cannot be argued out of existence or rationalized into harmlessness. This  problem is exceedingly difficult, because it challenges the whole man and reminds him at the same time of his helplessness.”

Wherever we stand, in any direct light our shadow is cast.

In true spirituality, shadow work consists of we being open to witnessing our own shadow. This shadow side is something we often do not realize about ourselves… it is the part of us that witnesses the world and triggers the survival ego – of greed, envy, guilt and blame.

Many of us go to great lengths to cast a fake image of ourselves to the world, always wanting to appear likeable and supportive.

Some of us go to the point of changing allegiances based on the positions of power. Always done, with an ulterior motive to gain favors or assistance, or even love.

It’s ever easy for us to blame another for his shadow rather than acknowledging and looking within, toward our own shadow. But always remember, what we hate in someone else, we despise within ourselves.

Our shadow is WE, that which has not yet been shown the light of our consciousness and awareness. It’s ever dormant within, until externally triggered. The shadow represents the unhealed side of us from a turbulent relationship, an addiction to approval or our suppression of our true power.

Suppressing or hiding our shadow consumes so much physical energy that it creates disease and all manner of body aches. Feeling tired or overwhelmed is often the symptom of an overactive shadow self.

Until the day we die, each of us have our shadow or ego to live with. Try not to buy in too much into our internal bulls@#! and get looped into the incessant internal chatter. We all have the ability to transform ourselves by walking through our shadow.

The path through the shadow will lead us into the light.

The path through our shadow will bring us strength.

The path through our shadow is the only way toward our Higher Self.

‘Raw & Real’

Shadow work takes effort and time. Some things cannot be rushed, some people take longer and some people complete their layers quicker than others.

The more we open up the shadow, the more we acknowledge who we are and admit our emotions to ourselves, the more authentic we become. Now that we are acquainted with our shadow, we are ready to grow.

In shadow work, it is not just creating a safe space but rather, a brave space for change. A brave space is where we push ourselves out of our comfort zone and open ourselves up to the infinite possibilities of transformation. In this space, we remember our true authentic self, not a false self of our mind. A space of peace in which our soul meets our ego to be enlightened (enlightenment can mean shedding the layers of the false self).

Some people confuse authenticity with just speaking out whatever they feel. But Sarah Ban Breathnach said, “The authentic self is soul made visible.” Our soul is never brash, never harsh and never mean. Our soul is kind, patient, full of love, but gently blunt and sincere.

When I first started this soul journey toward my path of light 10 years ago, I was often harsh. Harsh to the world, harsh to myself. I put my emotions out in all my words, and even though I had sincere intentions, my shadow got in the way. I confronted my shadow often, but I rarely spoke my heart out purely.

It was through the recognition and awareness that I needed to be raw to myself first, to be real to my friends and family without any hidden agenda, and open my heart to myself – did I manifest a life full of love and opportunities for abundance.

Upon hindsight, those years of growing pains, depression and heartache were necessary. It was and still is a necessary path for the ascension of myself – to honor the soul I am, to walk my talk with compassion, and to speak kindly with integrity am I becoming more of my authentic self.

When we are ‘Raw & Real’ – we begin to see ourselves and others more clearly. We begin to recognize the reality of what truly is – and not what is in our minds and perceptions. We all wear differently-tinted glasses when we face the world. By being ‘Raw’, by speaking ‘Real’-ly, we become as who we are meant to be. We begin to hold a space of clarity, love, and kindness in our conscious understanding of the world.

Dissolving Hidden Knots

Once, I was facing a new situation in my life. My back started hurting, I couldn’t walk or move without pain for a week. My left shoulder too started hurting, and I couldn’t even feel my fingers. I took a week off to face myself, to heal.

As my husband (Scott, who is in fact a ‘hidden spiritualist’) massaged my hurt left shoulder, I asked him what that knot represented to him. He answered, “frustration and heartache”. I burst out in tears as I faced my own frustration; and oddly enough, within a minute that knot dissolved quicker than the 10 minutes he had been kneading it.

As I became real with my own emotions, they flowed away, and revealed a path of clarity I didn’t feel for more than two weeks. By integrating with my shadow, allowing myself to be raw, real and flowing with life, I felt a sense of wholeness. A sense of peace descended upon me as I contemplated on the appropriateness of the set up. By making peace with my internal conflict, I became whole once more.

Becoming real, becoming raw, becoming open bring new maturity, and that’s when we accept fully the responsibility for our entire existence and the creation of our lives.

The Only Path To Light The path through our shadow, is the only way to be authentic. The path through our authentic expression, is the only way to our Higher Self. Take this journey, with me… just imagine… Before time began, we were all One. One being, One light, One primordial Oneness. There was no you, no I, no in-between. No light, no dark, no grey in-between. And then we wanted to experience Experience. We split ourselves into billions of lights, billions of beings, billions of stars. We started tasting the sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and spiciness of life. Duality was born.

The Higher Self

And so, our Higher Self is who we are, with our authentic power, our ability to master our own life. In our Higher Self, we possess the ability to see through ego, witnessing the Divineness within each of us billions of lights in all 7.8 billion human beings on this earth. Our Higher Self in this world, means living a fulfilled life, of service to others in whatever form it takes.

Where kindness comes before harshness. For kindness is goodness.

Where others come before self. For they are you.

Where love comes before fear. For fear is the absence of love.

Where service comes before profit. For when you serve, the Universe provides.

As there are 7.8 billion people on earth, there are in essence 7.8 billion different versions of Higher Selfs. Which all return to the One. When we stop seeing others as ‘others’, when we stop hurting others for it hurts us, when we can only love all – we become the Higher Self that we aspire to be.

Shadow Work

Shadow work takes time, years in fact. It takes patience and compassion. In the process of healing our own hearts, our own grief, we may realize that our shadow self contains the seeds of light and seeds of our own power. Loving it will bring our True Self to surface.

I end with the Twameva Mantra as a gift to all of us here:

“Twameva maataa cha pitaa twameva,
Twameva bandhush cha sakhaa twameva,
Twameva vidyaa dravinam twameva,
Twameva sarvam mama deva deva”

You Truly are my Mother and you Truly are my Father,

You Truly are my Relative and you Truly are my Friend,

You Truly are my Knowledge and you Truly are my Wealth,

You Truly are my All, My Divine of Divines.

Namaste.
The Divinity in Me, Bows to the Divinity in You.

SHADOW INTEGRATION MEDITATION Instead of pushing away our shadow, hiding away from our emotions, or walling up our feelings – it’s time to integrate our shadow into our life. Set aside an hour and find a safe space to work on your shadow. Be open to yourself. Give the gentle and firm intention to your heart and mind that you wish to meet and heal your shadow self today. This is the most important work you will do for yourself and your family. Be focused on your breath and your heartbeat. See a door in front of you, and find the courage within to step through the door of your heart. You have walled up your emotions for long enough. Take time to allow your shadow self to come forward into your consciousness. Allow the anger, the rage, the envy, the guilt or the pain to surface. There is no right and wrong at this point. The key here is to be patient with yourself. Feel through each wave of emotion. When you feel your body needs to take deep breaths, breathe away all the emotional turmoil. At this point, ask your shadow self: “What are you showing me?” “What are you teaching me?” Recognize that you created your shadow self for a reason – which is to protect you. But you are now safe and protected. Hug your shadow, and love your shadow. Then let it go.

COLORFUL LESSONS FROM A RAINBOW CHILD

Innate Abilities

Four years ago, I invited my brother and his daughter to attend a public meditation conducted by the founder of The Golden Space Malaysia. From there I got to know that my niece is a special child, a full rainbow child.

It was the same period of time when her mother passed on due to cancer, when my niece started demonstrating her “rainbow” abilities. She can see what others normally can’t see. She is sensitive to energy. That year she was just 10 years old.

I was curious that she never shared what she sees until her mother had passed on. She explained that her mother did not allow her to say things that were extra-ordinary as it might scare other people.

Since young, she learnt not to fear and handle the intangible world by herself. She has innate wisdom, which at times surprises us and renders us speechless.

Message Of Authenticity

 Lesson 1 – I don’t belong to anyone

Once when I visited my brother who was sick, I was curious how she coped all these years when her dad started to fall sick with heart disease, so I asked her.

Niece: “Well, if I tell you the truth about what I feel, you will most probably scold me.”

Me: “No, I won’t. It is how you feel. It is you being your authentic self.”

Niece: “To be frank, he is not really my dad, he is actually a friend who came to this Earth with me, this life time, to play the role of father and daughter. And I do not belong to anyone nor am I just his daughter.”

“And the suffering that he is going through, cannot be borne by anyone else including me. Therefore, there is no point in worrying too much.”

Me: “You are right, I agree with you. We do not belong to anyone but our own self.”

What a profound answer from a 14-year-old girl! I learnt that when we look at relationships in this way, it helps us to be attached physically, yet to be detached mentally from the other person.

Message Of Empowerment

Lesson 2 : Never compare yourself with others

On a particular day when I was worried about running out of time to prepare my presentation, we had this conversation. Usually I had a few hours up to a whole day to prepare but on that particular day, I had to pick up her up from school, prepare lunch and dinner, and make sure everything she needed was attended to, before I left for class.

Me: “Oh no! Today is an unusually chaotic day for my presentation preparation. I feel so nervous!”

Niece: “Why do you feel nervous to present?”

Me: “All of my training mates are excellent and very psychic. They can sense things very well.”

Niece: “Do not compare yourself with others. Treat them equally. And see this presentation as an opportunity to learn together from each other.

“Each one has their talents and strength, as well as their own weakness. So, never judge anyone and never compare.”

“Instead, enjoy the learning process and have fun.”

I felt so positive after listening to what she said and her words of wisdom changed my perspective. As a result, my presentation that day was one of the best I had ever conducted.

Most of all I learnt that we adults should never underestimate the wisdom of the younger generation especially the Star Children, for example the Rainbow Child, the Crystal Child or the Golden Child. And many parents out there still don’t realize that their children are Star Children.

Never restrict them from expressing themselves and let them become who they are. Sharing and learning from each other is important.

My niece has been teaching me about a lot of things in her own way. She shares with me, the world that is unseen by normal human eyes. She is mature for her age and has a highly spiritual understanding about love and humanity.

She has won numerous first prize awards for her presentations and writings on the topic of “The Power of Love”. I am really proud of her and have learnt to be a humble aunt and to continue to learn and grow with her.

I humbly end with her wise words, “Love cannot be explained through words. It has to be learned through experiences.”

THE POWER OF TWIN FLAMES

The people in our lives are of tremendous value to us, for without relationships of any kind, we would not be able to define ourselves. Our differences are advantageous to our stimulation of new ideas, and are essential to our continuous development, and creative expansion. After all, “variety is the spice of life”.

Our “soul mates”, as well as those, in our soul family, have the ability to propel us into massive growth in a very short span of time. They are immense blessings, and hold in them, the key to our rapid advancements and transformations. There is, however, a particular type of relationship dynamic that supersedes all else – the “twin flame”.

A Twin Flame Is Different From A Soul Mate

A “twin flame” is, in simplistic terms, one soul split into two halves. When you meet your twin flame, you feel drawn and connected to them on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels. Your twin flame will reflect all your inner shadows and darkest fears, but also your strengths, beauty, and divinity.

The twin flame is essentially energy and not a particular person. So the twin flame mirrored patternings can also exist and be observed in more than one person simultaneously, triggered by different individuals, during different times and circumstances.

What we perceive in others is always a mirror reflection of our inner beings. Thus then, at the highest level of consciousness, everyone is our twin flame since we are all one and connected.

The term “soul mate” on the other hand is far broader in scope, and encompasses family members, relatives, friends, and even pets. As such, it can also be inferred that one’s twin flame is a kind of a soul mate, the ultimate soul mate!

The twin flame relationship is first and foremost a spiritual connection and bond that leads to an authentic relationship with your own Self. Romantic love and sexual attraction can certainly be frequently present in most twin flame cases, but not always.

Due to the many misconceptions and ignorance within the spiritual community, some of those who have not yet experienced such an energetic match would consider the concept of the twin flames to be a myth.

More often than not, people are unable to fully resonate and relate to something unless they have also experienced something similar for themselves. As the saying goes, “You cannot talk butterfly language to caterpillar people.”

Twin flame consciousness is becoming far more common nowadays as the twin flame understanding is being experienced and embraced by more and more people. For example, the numerology of year 2018 is the master number 11/2, which signifies union, reunion and unity.

How To Recognize Your Twin Flame

When you meet your twin flame, there is a sensation of “knowing” and coming home. You will feel an intense and powerful connection with them, unlike any that you have ever felt before with anyone else.

You might have had vivid dreams or visions of them reappearing in your life, and felt their energetic presence long before they manifested physically. You might also have recalled glimpses of past/ future lifetime memories with this person.

Numerous synchronistic events and blatant external signs suddenly start to successively appear in divine timing. Such synchronicities include seeing repeated numbers everywhere, such as 11:11, which is the awakening code and symbol of the twin flame. Your twin flame partner will also experience many of these phenomena as well.

You will have a telepathic and heightened psychic bond with each other, and can therefore sense each other’s energies and moods even from a distance. Because of the profound spiritual linkage to one another, twins will share and experience the same emotions.

Both twins connect deeply, and mirror each other’s values and aspirations. People might comment that you look alike, or that you look good together.

The two of you will have many similarities, but also many polarized opposites, impeccably reflecting the light and shadow sides of each other. For example, if you are creatively repressed, then chances are, your twin flame will be a flourishing artist.

Learning important lessons about our fears and repressions, we readily develop virtues such as appreciation, forgiveness, empathy, compassion, and self-love for the purpose of transmutation and transcendence.

A Deliberate And Divine Purpose

The twin flame mirroring is deliberate and serves a divine purpose. The willingness to dive into the depths of our own souls, takes immense courage. Thus, fleeing is very common amongst many twins, early on, as they dismiss and reject their twin flame counterparts.

No matter how many times you avoid or try to leave your twin flame, you will always be magnetically attracted back to them. In reality, there can be no true separation from your twin flame for the simple fact that your twin flame is yourself.

Twins quickly realize that they were meant to be brought together to raise the vibrational frequency of the Earth, and aid humanity during these turbulent times as we shift into a new golden age for mankind. Unity is strength, and unity consciousness is the goal.

The twin flame energies have a tendency to occur to those strong-willed independent individuals who typically do not feel the need for any conventional romantic type of relationships, preferring spiritual growth and deep connections.

Despite all the hardships, both twins shall continue to evolve together to make each other better, wiser, and stronger in all ways. Twins will be better equipped and prepared for service, as they flow with unconditional love.

Ultimately, follow your own inner guidance; every twin flame relationship is unique. Surrender to the process, and give in to Divine Love. For at our very core, LOVE is what we truly are.

VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL: LOVE, LOST & FOUND

“’Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem In Memoriam: 27

Tennyson’s words ring true in me because I am one amongst the millions since the dawn of humanity who had lost love.

The First Bloom Of Love

I was 17, in school and enamored by a girl whom I thought was the sweetest thing I had ever set eyes on. She had a cute way about her, always in a hurry in her ponytail which made her look like a little squirrel scurrying around in the high school we both were studying in. It helped that she drove her own car, which kind of made me see the enormous opportunities that awaited me in terms of my mobility as a car-less teenager.

I was young, pumped up and ready to take on a romantic challenge… with this sweetest girl who not only caught my eye, but my head, heart and entire being too! Yes, I was totally in “love” and rushed headlong into a relationship with her. But as fate would have it, hardly a year had passed when she dumped me. That was it. End of relationship. Plug pulled.

I was shattered… words could not describe the utter shock and betrayal I felt at that time. She had left without a word, not even a goodbye. Yes, this sounds “cliched”. And it looks trivial. After all, what is a single teenage “love” compared with the millions of others that involve great men and women and which are even more tragic?

This is where I would like to end my story. For my intention is not to tell a story about lost love, but to share a little more about what I have discovered about “real love”, since those days ago.

The Inner Love Of Self

Our lives are a most precious thing, every breath of which is to be breathed in experiencing ourselves for who we really are. Even in defeat, we have a most precious experience to learn from, and having learned, to rise to success. Do not toddlers have to take more than a few falls before they can walk their first full steps? For some of us, this is the same with our experience of love, that there shall be one, or even more than one, heartbreaks along the way before we find the one who is best for us, as contracted by our souls.

The ancient Greeks tell us that there are 7 kinds of love: Eros: romance, Ludus: teasing, Philia: friendship, Philautia: self-love, Agape: universal, Pragma: long-term and Storge: parental. To me, the 7 loves can be distilled to just 2: the inner love of self and the outer love for what’s not self. The love of self, is the root of all other loves ranging from the love for one’s lover to the love for one’s God.

So to all lovers out there, love yourself first. Then only can you love your other half, partner or spouse.

Love Must Be Felt

Proclamations of love are not enough. Love must be felt in you.

Close your eyes, pay attention to the area around your heart and feel love. Feel love’s lightness, tenderness, sweetness. Enjoy your feelings towards the one you love. You are feeling good and enjoying the unguarded moment, expanded in the freedom of surrender.

Love is opening your heart in full acceptance of the person you love.

Love can make you cry spontaneously, because you feel in you the softness and gentleness of the other person’s heart as you surrender and make a genuine connection with love. There is no more separation because you feel the other as you feel yourself, that he or she is only as human as you are and yearns to experience love as much as you do.

Be it the love of a parent, the love of a child, the love of a brother, the love of a sister, the love of a teacher, the love of those who serve, the love of those who help the distressed, all these loves are the same love you have for your lover, for they are ultimately the love that emanates from you, a Divine spark of the eternal Universe.

As for me, I am thankful to the universe that I had loved and lost, for in losing love I had found where it truly lies – within me.

YOU CAN LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY
Volume 31

An Easy Way To Love What You Dislike

Like everyone else, you are tested on the love you have on a daily basis through people, situations or things involving friends, family or loved ones. We may even get stuck at this point, unable to move forward in life.

When this happens, here’s what you can do.

Set The Intention To Love

1.

Set your intention to love. Set this intention with your body, mind and soul. It is as if you are setting up a GPS to align your body, mind and soul to your final destination.

Rate yourself from 0 to 10 (0 – Hate, 10 – Love), while you are setting your intention.

Affirm in your heart or verbalize: “I choose to love (name of person/ situation/ thing)”.

You may feel uncomfortable, like you are faking, lying to yourself or forcing yourself to love, or you don’t even feel to love. You may also feel as if there is a gap between your current reality and your intention.

This is okay. Again, this step sets the intention to love, to inform our body, mind and soul that love is your destination.

The intention is meant to create an awareness within you: where you are now and where you intend to be. This becomes a golden opportunity to love slowly, but surely.

2.

After you have set your intention with the rating, the next step is to take action. Action or actions that enable you to love at a “10”.

Again, take your time. Always remember that your final goal is to love. To check your progress, you may repeat Step 1 every time you take your action.

Here are some actions you can take to love:

• Forgive and accept the person/ situation/ thing.
• Try to understand the person/ situation/ thing from different perspectives.
• Get a second opinion from someone you trust.
• Take this opportunity to understand yourself more: Why can’t you bring yourself to love?

Try asking yourself the following questions. These questions could help you choose love:

• What’s stopping me to love?
• What am I afraid of if I love?
• What will I lose if I love?
• Am I willing to change?

MEDITATION TO LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY

Loving In Gratitude

Another way to love what you dislike is to be grateful. Gratitude is the best way to mellow our ego or our constant mind reasoning. It is also the easiest way to help us open our hearts and love again.

1. Be seated at a place that you can feel safe and relaxed. Close your eyes and focus on breathing in and out through your nostrils. Feel the air flow into your belly as you breathe in and feel the air flow out through your nostrils as you breathe out. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
2. Imagine the subject that you dislike. Start paying attention to your feelings. You will start to feel all the negative emotions that are stored in your heart. Your mind may start commenting or criticizing. The positive side of you may also appear to tell you that you should not feel or think negatively. Allow yourself to be an observer.
3. Observe and slowly start to acknowledge all your feelings and thoughts. Gently breathe out all the negative feelings and thoughts.
4. Continue to breathe out until you are ready to say, “thank you” to the subject. Say it sincerely and whole-heartedly.
5. If you do it right, you may feel a sense of gratitude flowing from your heart. This is the time where you can truly love the subject through gratitude. You can say to the subject, “I love you, thank you”.
6. Enjoy this gratitude and love. Take your time and once you are ready, slowly open your eyes with a great smile.

Remember that practice makes perfect. Keep practicing and you eventually will and can love fully, and unconditionally.

YEAR OF THE RABBIT

Year Of Enchantment & Elevation
Volume 35

Incoming Rabbits

A few months before I started tuning in to the energies for 2023, I started seeing rabbits everywhere — on the side of the road, at the cemetery, in passing cars, and on TV ads — but I didn’t make the full connection between the signs and the signals. I share this only because I feel the energy will be much more subtle and filled with layers of meanings and messages as we move through the year.

It took me a minute to register that I was being prepared for the Rabbit Year without realizing it! You may also need this as a reminder, early in the year, to not overlook the signs that Spirit places in front of you. Because, just like a rabbit, once those signs “hop” away, it becomes very tricky to pin them down again.

Jade Rabbit & Easter Bunny

The rabbit is a popular mythical and symbolic creature in folklore around the world. In Eastern culture, one of the most well-known stories belongs to the Jade Rabbit, who keeps Chang’e company on the Moon and mixes the elixir of life for the immortals.

There are also Native and Central American stories that portray this little creature as a trickster spirit coming to earth to teach us various lessons.

And, of course, the classic Easter Bunny of Western tradition sees the world celebrating with tons of chocolate eggs every year.

The Chinese Zodiac Rabbit Sign

According to traditional Chinese texts, we are about to enter the Year of the Yin Water Rabbit. In the Chinese Five Element Theory, each of the 12 zodiac animals is associated with a specific element — metal, wood, water, fire or earth. A person’s character and temperament are believed to be influenced by their animal and element. A yin water year also represents a year of internal processing, assimilation and knowledge and with one being more receptive, sensitive and open.

There are so many different traits of this fluffy furball that we can focus on for the year, being mindful that each zodiac sign has both positive and negative influences.

According to the Chinese zodiac, those born under the Water Rabbit can get along well with people and are amiable, loving, kind, compassionate, artistic and flexible.

If you are an Earth Rabbit, you would be all the above but would come across as more ambitious, direct and conservative. There are always subtle nuances within a zodiac year, and the element determines the impact it will have.

The other zodiac Rabbit years and elements are found in the table below. We have also just experienced a turbulent and energetic Water Tiger year in 2022, so the yin or feminine energy is still present but in a much gentler way.

The Energy Of 7

The Rabbit Year is a harbinger of more calmness, serenity, spiritual evolution and reflection. At the same time, things will also happen quickly and spontaneously. It is a year where you can make amends, heal more deeply from past conflict and understand the wisdom of life’s lessons. I will briefly touch on how this links beautifully with the numerology of 2023, which holds the energy of 7.

The “7” Year brings a time of introspection, observation and intuition. We are likely to take a step back and reflect on the past, how far we have come, and what we still need to accomplish.

While there will be movement and change, it will be more subtle and focused. We will not benefit from rushing into action and following just any idea down the proverbial “rabbit hole”. If we do, we risk becoming quite stuck, disillusioned and isolated from others.

Therefore, the Water Rabbit of a “7” Year is the perfect opportunity to delve deeper into your soul’s purpose and spiritual practices. Just as the rabbit uses his burrow for safety, rest and reprieve, this deep contemplative theme can help you release any patterns of victimhood you may have experienced.

So, if you are feeling confused, bitter, stuck, or just downhearted and unsure what to do next as we start the year, then Rabbit can help you find the light and bring back the bounce in your step again.

“Spirabbitually” Speaking

The rabbit is a truly magical creature and is often depicted as one of the main spirit animals to greet you if you do meditation, astral work, shamanic journeys, goddess and fairy work, etc.

If you need any inspiration for new ideas and projects, then the goddess Ostara works closely with bunnies and is part of the ancient Easter story too. In ancient Egypt, there were hieroglyphics of a rabbit-headed goddess, Unut, who worked closely with the cycles of the moon and conception.

Rabbits were sacred to the Greek goddess Aphrodite and were associated with shattering the sun in Native American myths. And perhaps the rabbit’s most famous appearance was at tea parties with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Bunnies symbolize, amongst other things, fertility, abundance, skillfulness, wit, and also fear, shyness or indecisiveness. To make the most of the year ahead, I suggest you study the characteristics of bunnies to better understand their workings in your life — especially if it is your totem animal or Chinese zodiac sign.

For example, rabbits are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dusk and dawn; hence, you need to take advantage of certain times in your day when you will have more energy than at other times. Get a lot of rest between big tasks and watch your diet.

Like our furry friends, you would do better to eat lighter meals more frequently. It could also be a good year to look at what nutrition means to you and adjust your lifestyle accordingly. I’ve heard rabbits eat their own droppings too, bringing in a great force of accountability by cleaning up our own mess and lives.

Rabbits are also quite noisy when provoked, cornered or in pain, even though they are perceived as stealthy and timid. So, make sure you are being heard and voicing what’s important to you before it’s too late.

Incidentally, did you know that a litter of baby bunnies is called a litter of kittens? Rabbits give birth to as many as six litters of kittens a year. So, look ahead to tackling multiple projects or tasks, working behind the scenes until they are ready to be birthed into the world.

Usually, when a rabbit shows up in your life or you have it as a spirit animal, you will begin to see the cycle of 28 days start to manifest in your life. This reinforces the lunar cycle themes associated with the Rabbit. It is a year when pregnancies will be on the rise, and even the animal and plant kingdoms will bloom more readily and increase in size.

The Rabbit’s Gift

All in all, the rabbit is an exceptional creature with many lessons to share. As a child, one of my favorite stories was “Alice in Wonderland”, where the main character, Alice, followed a little white rabbit down into his burrow and experienced the adventure of a lifetime.

If we read closely into the story, we can see how it is a metaphor for discovering and empowering our true selves — but only once we have embarked on the inner journey and are ready to wake up. The journey of spiritual growth and evolution is the greatest adventure of all.

I wholeheartedly invite you to come with me and follow the magical Yin Water Rabbit this year, and see how much the spiritual evolution journey will restore and enchant you. But, most of all, it will empower you when you hop out the other side of this year!

HEALING & LOVING THROUGH GRIEF
Volume 32

The Unclosed Door

The person may be a parent, spouse, child, best friend or pet. It is immensely difficult to say goodbye and let go.

I lost my  father when I was 21. He was just 48 years old. He had suffered a stroke and after being hospitalized for a couple of weeks, he passed away.

At that time, I lived far from my family, and when my aunt called to deliver the news, I didn’t exactly know what I was feeling or how to respond to the news. I just went through the motions of being shocked and flew home. Instead of going to my college graduation ceremony with my parents, I attended my father’s funeral with a numb, empty heart and dry-eyed that day.

Despite the numbness, a peculiar emotion surfaced. It was rage. I was angry at my father for leaving so abruptly. I was angry at my family for not informing me about his illness and hospitalization. I was angry at myself for not being there and caring for him during the last days of his life. But most of all, I was angry at the Creator for taking him away from me.

During the grieving period, I didn’t know how to process my emotions. I had never been taught how to do it and no one was available to support and guide me through. I felt completely lost and alone. Unable to handle the grief, I turned to work as my coping mechanism, which turned me into a depressed workaholic.

Having proper closure is an important part of healing grief.

Father

My father was a man of few words. I couldn’t recall having a meaningful conversation with him. Since I had lived away from my parents from the time I was 10, our relationship was distant and formal. I never felt particularly loved, supported or guided by him. But his death had a huge impact on my life. It was as if my grief had unlocked the love within.

I wished my father and I had been given more time together to move our relationship to a warmer and more loving place. I wished I had told him how much I loved him. I wished he had been able to attend my college graduation since he was proudly looking forward to it. I wished he had lived to see me and my siblings marry. I wished he was still around to play with his grandchildren. The regrets weighed me down and made me feel powerless and helpless.

Grandma

A decade after losing my father, I lost my maternal grandmother who had been like a mother to me. I had lived with her since I was 10 until I was 17. She was a warm, kind and loving soul. I remember sobbing in my bed, overwhelmed by sorrow. Sadly, I couldn’t attend her funeral; by then I was completing my Master’s degree overseas. How I wished I had been there to care for her when she was ill and see her face one last time before they closed the coffin.

Marriage

Another devastating of grief was the death of my marriage. My husband and I had been together for 8 years and for the most part, our relationship was wonderful and loving.

When the marriage fell apart, it broke me into pieces as it happened very quickly. I went through a phase of deep depression, had suicidal thoughts, lost a significant amount of weight, went bald, and had to consult a psychiatrist and a doctor who placed me on antidepressants.

Again, I coped by filling up my schedule and being busy. The wishful thinking replayed in my head. I wished I had been a more loving and caring wife. I wished we hadn’t lived apart for the last couple of years we were together. I wished my husband had given our marriage a second chance. I wished my husband hadn’t fallen in love with another woman.

The betrayal hurt me deeply and made me feel unworthy and unloved. After living in the US for nearly 8 years, I returned to Indonesia, with a broken heart. And again, I drowned myself in work. It was the only way I knew to survive the sadness I was suffering through.

What I Did To Process The Grief

In my healing journey, I discovered the following to be some of the best ways to process grief:

Meditation

For me, time didn’t heal the wounds but during my depths of despair, something wonderful happened: I discovered the power of meditation. Meditation allowed me to transform my negative emotions into love and light. I learned to process my emotions in a healthy way so that rather than having them consume me, they empowered me.

Since then, meditation has been my guiding light. I joined a grief healing workshop and did the meditations. At the workshop, I was reminded of the Kübler-Ross’s stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – that I had learned in graduate school. But this time, instead of understanding what I had gone through with my brain, I accepted the phases I was going through and the reality with my heart. Given a safe space, I finally opened up to feel all the pain and sadness from losing some of the dearest people in my life. I allowed myself to be vulnerable, to cry as much and as long as I wished and shared my emotions with others. It was deeply cathartic.

Retreat

I signed up for a spiritual retreat in Nepal. At that retreat, I let myself burn from the rage I felt towards the Creator and had a heartful conversation with Him through meditations. Like a child, I was blaming Him for everything that had gone wrong in my life, especially for taking my father’s life. To my surprise, I felt that He listened, truly listened. Amazingly, simply being heard and consoled by Him gave me the courage to release myself from the chains of sorrow. I realized I couldn’t turn back time or change anything. I could only change myself and my perceptions about death. I was powerfully reminded by the facts of life – there’s an ending in every beginning, and a beginning in every ending. I learned to see the beauty in the cycle of life.

Family Constellation

This therapy which reveals hidden family dynamics to address the root causes of unresolved family issues and heal them, also helped me reconcile my relationship with my father. Through this method, I was able to communicate with him and release trapped emotions.

Yoga

For over a year, I have been practicing Father Salutation. I use poses similar to the Sun Salutation flow in yoga to salute him in front of his picture. In the end, doing the child pose, I bow and talk to his soul. It may sound unusual but I feel more connected with my father now than when he was alive. I know he loves me and is proud of me. Though unseen, his spirit is always around to support me.

I also connect and converse with my father through prayers, meditations, automatic writing, and mediumship oracle cards.

Ho’oponopono

I wrote a letter to my ex-husband, while listening to the powerful Ho’oponopono mantra, to resolve the unfinished emotional communication by expressing my forgiveness, gratitude, and unconditional love for him. It was one of the most painful yet liberating experiences of my life.

I no longer wish to turn back time or change anything. Everything is meant to be. I am exactly where I am meant to be. For every loss, there has been a gain. By losing my husband I had found myself again. I fell in love with the most important person in my life – myself. I love and honor myself no matter what and I feel whole and complete. I am worthy of love and I am loved, always.

Writing

Writing this article has been therapeutic in itself. Though it was the most difficult piece I’ve ever written, it has rewarded me with a vital awareness. I realized I had “died” during the process of healing, that I had to let go of big parts of myself to become my true self. I had said goodbye to my corporate career that had become my identity, goodbye to a constant companion named Depression, and goodbye to self-limiting beliefs that no longer serve me.

When I wrote my new autobiography, my old self had a hard time recognizing my new self. I have embraced new roles and transformed into a more loving, joyful, and powerful being. I realized that to have a new life, I had to let go of the old life. Now I feel brand new, like a baby. And I am empowered to rewrite my story and history.

Love

My spiritual growth was recently tested with the loss of my six cats. One simply disappeared and the other five died one by one from various illnesses in the past year. Though by then I was better equipped to handle death, I still experienced immense grief and wept while burying each of my beloved pets.

Through their deaths, I healed another layer of grief I still carried from the past. I realized I still had the fear of getting hurt again and it was holding me back from loving others fully including my pets. But after losing six cats, I finally learned a big lesson. I learned to love and to be loved completely and fearlessly. No longer am I afraid of getting hurt, betrayed, or abandoned. I just love. The last remaining cat, Ebony and I are now showering each other with unconditional love.

Postscript

Once, a meditation teacher shared a memorable story from the time of the Buddha:

A woman named Kisa was grieving about her lost baby. She had a hard time accepting the reality of the death and refused to bury her son. The villagers advised her to consult the Buddha so she immediately went to him and pleaded for him to bring her son back to life. Buddha promised to grant her wish with one condition. She must find a mustard seed from a house where no one residing there has ever lost a family member. After going to many houses, she learned that everyone had lost loved ones to death. She finally understood that death is an inevitable and natural part of life. She then buried her son in the forest.

Understanding the natural cycle of life doesn’t always diminish the pain we feel from losing our loved ones. But it may help us move towards unconditional acceptance, which is a crucial part of healing. Everything happens for a reason. Grief is a universal experience that helps us learn and grow.

Through my healing journey, I discovered that death is merely a physical illusion. Though the body may disappear, the memories and the love that we shared with the loved one remain in our hearts forever. The love never dies. It is permanent and everlasting. Only love is real. The best gift we can give to those who have left us is to love and live fully, joyfully, and purposefully and cherish those who are still with us.

By making peace with death and the past, I live a fuller life. I do not take life for granted anymore. Before I go to sleep, I thank the Creator for allowing me to live one more day, and when I wake up, I am grateful to still be alive. This encourages me to live simply in the present, one day at a time, to do my best, and not regret anything.

Nevertheless, I remain motivated and hopeful about life and the future.

Death is not the end. Life continues. The journey continues.

Thank you, Grief.

Dedication

I am dedicating this article especially to those who have physically left us during the pandemic. May your souls rest in peace and love. And to all of us who have lost loved ones during these extraordinary times. May we find peace and courage to let go and move forward.

Personal Tributes

I bow and salute you all with the deepest love, gratitude, and reverence: The Golden Space family, Master Umesh for the life-changing Nepal retreat, Tan Keng Ann who introduced me to the Ho’oponopono mantra, Stacey Lee for the transformative family constellation sessions, Joyce Wonsono for your amazing grief workshop and class, Michaael Wong for your powerful Healing Grief meditation, Talita Setyadi for the memorable automatic writing therapy, my Qigong Master, Ronan Tang, who taught me Mother and Father Salutation, and my Vipassana Guruji S. N. Goenka, who shared the story of Kisa Gotami and the Mustard Seed.

RAISING THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF HUMANITY

To Raise The Vibration Of The Earth
Volume 24

Raising Vibration

Another outcome of us raising our vibration is that we become more conscious. And when we become more conscious, we tend to not hurt the environment because we will realize that we and the environment are mutually dependent. We’ll be watching what we eat, what we take from nature, and what we give back to nature. As conscious people, what we do will be love-based. Doing things with love glowing in our hearts, we will not hurt others, the animals, the environment or the Earth. This is what vibrating at a higher level and being conscious do to us.

Where’s The Coming From?

People may be environmentalists, campaigners, activists; but what consciousness level are they operating from?

Some organizations make declarations of “saving the planet” but do their “why”s for doing so come from higher consciousness? Or are their “why”s based on power, greed and other fear-based desires?

Could organizations have hidden agendas in the guise of campaigning for causes? For example, could one have a political agenda in “saving the forests”?

A Conscious Economy

On the other hand, there are businesses and corporations that contribute resources or promote practices that support a better, healthier Earth. These for-profit businesses may come from a higher level of consciousness, led by leaders who operate from the heart. Examples range from companies from the energy (promoting clean energy sources) to the education (focusing on
heart-centered syllabi) sectors.

It’s good that such “conscious” companies make great profits, because this means that more money will be poured into impacting communities, the environment and the Earth in positive ways. In today’s world, the higher-vibrating businesses will become the success stories of a conscious economy, more than those which operate in the lower vibrations of greed, fear, and those that selfishly chase profits at any cost.

Products that are created with lots of love energy will be economically and socially more appealing, as more and more people especially the millennials, start calling out to everyone to create a better world, and to take action to take us to that intention. It’s all about how much love vibration we put into whatever that we do, produce and consume.

Serving Our Purpose Raises Our Vibration

As we raise our consciousness, we will be more sensitive of the needs of our environment and the Earth. It’s something that happens naturally due to the connection that we human beings all have with Gaia. As we operate from this higher consciousness, we will be drawn towards serving our true purpose, which raises the vibration of humanity and the planet as a whole. There is always a positive correlation between our vibration and that of our fellow human beings and the Earth.

Therefore, to raise the vibration of our beloved planet Earth, the key is to raise the consciousness of the 7+ billion powerful magnets that are walking on Earth – human beings.

We and the Earth are connected and One. As we raise our vibration and consciousness, we will finally realize that there is no separation.

2022 Year-End Navigation

Let Your Highest Guidance Lead

From now until the year-end, there will a dominant force of Orion Groups working behind the scenes, separating people into opposing groups based on beliefs, associations and religions. There’ll be increased polarization, for example, in corporations and families, with opposing groups of different beliefs, visions, propositions, etc., contending each other, fighting for what each group thinks is right. This will happen from September until December. Be watchful so as not to get sucked into the polarity. Your highest guidance will lead you out of the war between the polarities.

Many find themselves in uncontrolled emotions and behavior. A lot of lightworkers are still unable to master the mind so they keep thinking about what they do not want and struggle as they watch what is manifesting as the unwanted timeline approaches. But this group is still better off than the unconscious ones, they are dissolving the old pattern although slowly.

Unconscious ones find themselves in challenging cycles and negative emotions. An alarming number of these people start to have chronic diseases of the body. Despite the fact that we have shielded off many layers of the problems affecting the populations, efforts in asking the mind-programmed group to break off from the karmic cycle is just not enough due to their need for the illusion. Collectively, the need for suffering and learning, the need for karmic teachers is just too huge. Only the small number of realized individuals have the needed level of spiritual practice to be untouched by the energy and the karmic cycles.

Heal & Work Things Out Now

Healers need to “amp” up the healing process. There’ll be much healing needed in society, otherwise people will not able to cleanse when they find themselves stuck in the tides of duality. People need to be very focused and work things out before September. If one is not able to stay above the waterline, then September is going to be harsh.

The need to compete, the need to succeed amongst the crowd, the need to be champion, the need to be respected, the hunger for food, the hunger for money – all these desires are based on the lack of connection with our soul, bound to the Grey-oriented Orion Group which will lead to a journey of ups and downs.

Behind the earthly desires are the fears of being judged, of not enough, of losing, of lack, that lead us on the path to emotional blackmail, entanglements, false promises, expectations and disappointments… all sorts of complications.

Those who are more awakened have a choice to stay out of this mess, which is recommended. Leading to the year end, things will escalate. So, if you don’t resolve your issues today, it is very likely that the problems will cluster into a much bigger mass by year end. It’s not funny when one sees how big the scale of this grand dilemma is.

Ask The Universe

This time, those who are stuck will need teachers from amongst the realized. If you find yourself in an endless repetitive cycle, just ask the Universe to point out a solution for you. The answer may come in the form of someone telling you something that sticks in your mind, or the answer may come in a problem that repeats itself until you come to a realization. Sometimes, the liberation may come disguised as something that seems bad at first but turns out to be a blessing.

At the end of the journey, you will understand unconditional love.

What you can do to ease your journey:

1. Be real. Being real reduces the repetitive cycles. It’s the foundation of realizing ourselves into a timeless world of truth.
2. Cleanse your energy field. A compromised energy field breaks your synchronicity with the universe (“luck”). With a cleansed energy field, you think differently, manifest differently, desire differently.
3. Pray, and state your intention clearly. Prayer is a form of communication with the Universe. Stating your intentions clearly tells the Universe what it is you actually want.

Make sure you are navigating properly before you step full speed ahead. You don’t want to end up in the Antarctica at the end of the year.

True Freedom, is right here, right now. It is Timeless.

THE NEW GENERATIONS OF CHILDREN
Volume 7

There are new generations of very gifted children here on Earth today who are paving the way to a more evolved global consciousness. These children of a New Age will live, and lead with more love, peace and harmony to reshape the world in ways we thought were not possible. Could you be possibly be one of these children? Or do you have such a child?

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead.

A Revolution In Our Midst

We remember differently how we were brought up. We recall the ways our parents taught us, and we had been told stories of how their parents taught them. Try the same methods on kids today and chances are those same lessons we know so well will bounce right off them.

Take a good look around you and talk to your friends who have children. There is a revolution that you may not be aware of. In the past few decades, there has been a dramatic transformation amongst children born. Many parents, teachers and those who deal with children are very aware that the children of today are extremely different from those of generations before.

A New Age Of “Super” Children

These children are known as New Age children because they perceive things very differently from their parents. They “feel colors” from words, “hear emotions” from speech and “see” the world in numbers and energy.

Their uniqueness is also reflected by how quickly they master technology, how they can “pick up” other people’s emotions or “read” minds and how they adapt to new environments at a drop of a hat. Some even defy traditional rules and systems imposed on them; they do not easily conform to conventional views of how someone should be and behave.

Observe how these conceptual children see the world in a different way. Note that you can never lie to them, because they instinctively pick up the energy of your words as you utter them.

Is New Age Parenting Needed?

Most importantly, these new children teem with compassion and love. They instinctively want the world to be a better place, and they have big dreams of changing the world to what it can be, to what it should be – full of hope and love! With that, these children will make our planet vibrate at a higher frequency.

But how do we live with them, and help them flourish in a world that perhaps is just still preparing itself for the higher energies that these extraordinary children are bringing with them? When the old ways of punishment, yelling and denial are clearly not effective on our children anymore, perhaps then, it is time to truly understand and see them for who they are – the new generations of children on earth – and allow them to change us instead of we trying to change them.

There is nothing more important than our children… because they are the future of this planet.

Indigo, Crystal Or Rainbow?

Indigo Warriors build a better earth.
Wise Crystals are caring.
Fearless Rainbows are born healers.

Which one are you?

Or do you have such a child in your family?

THE FIRST WAVE: THE INDIGO CHILDREN

These New Age children started arriving between the 1970s and the 1980s. Indigo children have distinct warrior personalities, making them stand up and fight for what they think is right and what they believe in.

Some parents call these Indigos rebellious. With zero tolerance for dishonesty, they are here to show us that archaic traditional systems are no longer healthy and must change. They are passionate about tearing down these old systems and erecting new ones – for a better earth. Their energy is a deep spiritual blue which carries highly-psychic abilities.

Traits

• They require a high degree of stimulation and excitement in their lives.
• They have zero tolerance for lies, plus they don’t react to their parents’ guilt-trips.
• They don’t conform to societal systems and often rebel.
• Indigos have felt old from when they were born; often feeling older than their parents.
• Being highly creative, they easily think out of the box.
• They may carry their parents’ fears and karmic attributes.
• They bond easier with plants and animals than with people.

Raising Indigo Children

• Treat Indigos with respect. Never ever belittle them!
• Give them a voice and choices, making them feel included in the family.
• Always explain the “why” of your instructions.
• Be collaborative when setting boundaries. Allow the child to determine her own limits, and be surprised how easily this works!
• Never instill fear in them with regard to the external environment. Continually expecting the “worst” to happen fills their hearts with fear.

THE SECOND WAVE: CRYSTAL CHILDREN

Crystal children have very bright crystalline energy and they seem much wiser than their age. The first thing you notice about them are their big soulful eyes and their forgiving nature.

The most affectionate of all New Age kids, they love peace, are very sensitive and caring. As they are very intuitive, they can see through words and lies. They feel the energy of the words more than listen to what their parents say. This makes them very sensitive to the energy of your vibrations and actions.

Traits

• Crystal children are among the most communicative, caring and cuddly of all children.
• Their large communicative eyes reflect their deep knowing and spiritual understanding.
• They tend to be very connected to nature and animals.
• They begin to speak much later in life, preferring silence or talking in their own language.
• These children are extremely artistic.
• Being very sensitive, they dislike loud noises, bright unnatural lights, and high-stress environments.
• They dislike arguments and fighting, and forgive very easily.
• They do not react well to sugar, caffeine or processed foods. Some of them prefer a vegetarian diet, often refusing meat.

Raising Crystal Children

• Respect their preferences, although it may go against the grain of how to raise “normal” children. E.g. allow them to eat vegetarian meals.
• Do not expose them to any stimulating activities a few hours before bedtime.
• Give them space and do not pressure them to speak if they do not want to.
• Let them explore their intuitive abilities by giving them crystal pieces to use.
• Ask them questions on what they feel are appropriate to do, instead of telling them what to do.
• Take them out to forest reserves to let them recharge and reconnect with nature.

THE THIRD WAVE: RAINBOW CHILDREN

Coming to the world with little or no karma, Rainbow children most likely have not been incarnated on Earth before. Because of that, Rainbow children are only born to peaceful, loving families. These children give off vibrant rainbow energy, the natural pure energy of the universe, to others, hence their label. Rainbow children are different from Crystal children because they are entirely fearless. They feel protected and safe at all times, knowing intuitively that the Divine and Mother Earth will care for them. Their natural healing abilities spread unconditional love and joy to all around them especially their parents. Healing themselves and others is their purpose on Earth.

Traits

• Rainbow children are born to smile.
• They recover from negative emotions quickly; and have a sense of emotional mastery.
• They are hyperactive, have high energy and do not tire easily.
• They thrive in colorful environments and love bright clothing.
• They possess strong will and personalities.
• They are passionately creative and are very expressive.
• They are intolerant of processed food preservatives, meat, wheat and dairy.

Raising Rainbow Children

• Be mentally and emotionally fit!
• Feed these children with a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Do not feed them fast food and over-complex carbohydrates.
• As they are sensitive to perfume, make sure that their body and bath care are perfume and paraben-free. They love natural things.

References:
The Indigo Children (Ten Years Later) by Lee Carrol & Jan Tober –
The Crystal Children by Doreen Virtue –

1o RITES OF WISDOM & POWER
Volume 21

Far across the beautiful mountains of the Andes in Peru lies a shamanic tradition that comes from the heart space for healing,  nourishing and empowering a person to great wisdom and personal power. Discover the Q’eros, the MunayKi and the 10 Rites.

Who Are The Q’eros?

The Q’eros are the direct descendants of the Incas who have preserved their ancestors’ sacred knowledge, healing traditions and ceremonies. They live in the mountains, at between four and five thousand meters above sea level, and are one with the Wind, the Jaguar, the Hummingbird, the Serpent, the Condor and the Mountain (Apus).

The Q’eros have a great connection with the Cosmos and are conscious of a whole living world dividing into three worlds:

• the Hanaq Pacha (the upper world – the Superconscious)
• the Kay Pacha (this middle world – the Conscious) and
• the Uku Pacha (the lower world – the Unconscious).

The Andean tradition reminds us that we are interconnected with everyone and everything around us. The Q’eros believe we have the power to bring back the balance in nature and Mother Earth (Pachamama) which has rapidly deteriorated in the past century.

What Is The Munay-ki?

As we are living in time of great change, one important aspect of the Incan wisdom has now come down from the mountains (Apus) to the world. That’s the Q’ero teachings widely known as “Munay Ki”, a word that comes from the Quecha language meaning “I love you”.

9 Rites To Transform Life

The Munay-Ki are the nine Rites of initiation (energetic transmission otherwise known as attunements) for a person to become one of wisdom and power.

When a person receives the Rites he or she becomes an Earthkeeper and a Wisdomkeeper. It is thought to be the next step in the evolution of humanity – to realign and attune our neuropathways and shift human consciousness into its ‘new form’.

These initiations assist us to develop a new architecture in our luminous energy field. The Rites anchor each critical juncture in the process of becoming homo luminous beings: humans of higher frequencies that carry pure love, empowered energies, upgraded DNA and internal wisdom.

Each of these Rites is unique and it’s a beautiful experience for anyone whether young or old.

The 9 Rites are known as:

• Rite One: Healer Rite
• Rite Two: Bands of Power
• Rite Three: Harmony Rite
• Rite Four: Seer Rite
• Rite Five: Daykeeper Rite
• Rite Six: Wisdomkeeper Rite
• Rite Seven: Earthkeeper Rite
• Rite Eight: Starkeeper Rite
• Rite Nine: Creator Rite

The New “Rite Ten” For Feminine Healing

There is now an additional right – a tenth Rite known as ‘The Rite of The Womb’. This Rite heals the wounds of our traumas of the feminine. All 10 Rites are evolutions through the power of love and each a deeply moving experience.

Many of you have received such a calling from Spirit, and long to make a difference in the world and in your life. Know that if you are drawn or called to Machu Picchu it may be a calling for you to step into your empowered self and that the right time has come for you.

HONORING & TRUSTING THE LIGHT WITHIN
Volume 26

Courage, perseverance, positivity, love, compassion, resilience, strength, trust, confidence, patience – all these attributes, and more, lie within each and every one of us. They are apparent, or rather, they exhibit themselves especially during extremely challenging times like the one that everyone in the world experienced recently. Most of us are unaware that we possess these amazing qualities. When we are conscious, we can tap into them and embody them completely. Then our lives would be so much more joyful and fulfilling, wouldn’t it?

Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed for the next thirty minutes or so.

1.  Sit comfortably on a chair or the floor, whichever suits you. Keep your back straight but not stiff, and place your palms on your thighs facing skyward. Close your eyes gently, relax your face and begin to breathe, becoming conscious of your breath.  Are you breathing gently and evenly?

2.  Watch your breath as you inhale through your nostrils, all the way down through your throat, into your lungs, heart and lower abdomen. Hold for a count of three. Release the breath. Continue for a total of nine breaths. By this time, your breath should be calmer and your body more settled. Reminder: These steps are done in a very gentle and loving way; no pressure is exerted. Be in a relaxed and unhurried mode and most importantly be patient with yourself.

3.  On the next in-breath, become aware of the power of your breath. Oxygen is needed for your organs to function optimally. With each inhalation, you allow more oxygen to flood your entire body. Breathe in with the awareness and understanding of how your body functions. Feel or sense all your organs becoming energized as each breath brings in a fresh, delicious supply of oxygen. Visualize each and every cell in your body begin to glow with health and vitality. It will feel as if your cells are alive and shining bright like the sun. Continue to focus on expanding this uplifting feeling to your entire body.

4.  Now bring your focus to the center of your chest where your spiritual heart is located. If you like, you can place both your palms over your chest area. Go deep into this sacred space and continue to breathe deeply. Slow steady breaths, in and out. With each inhalation, allow your heart to expand. As your heart becomes more open, you become aware of a spark of light emanating from inside of you. Breathe into this light and allow it to expand out to cover your entire body. With each breath in, focus on your heart and as you breathe out, allow the light to amplify, become brighter and stronger. With the power of your intention, feel or visualize this light radiating out all around you, in all directions – up high into the sky and deep down into the core of the earth.

It is at this moment that you begin to sense your connection with a higher consciousness. You are not alone and you feel strong and powerful, yet loved, supported and cared for, all at the same time. With this comes the realization of who you truly are. You are a magnificent and resplendent warrior of light. Tremendous strength, courage, determination and resilience lie within you. Your heart flows with love and compassion for yourself and everyone around you.

Being the true warrior that you are, you realize that every challenge in life is a gift for your highest learning and the only way is to keep moving forward in peace and confidence, trusting yourself and trusting divine flow.

A sudden surge of deep gratitude fills your heart. You feel blessed and thankful for everything in your life.

5.  Before you come back from your meditation, remember to say a big Thank You to yourself and all who have guided you on your journey on this planet. You can gently open your eyes and have some water to drink.

6.  Continue to sit and enjoy this peaceful and quiet space. Write down all your realizations in a journal.

Note: It is highly recommended that this meditation be done on a daily basis to keep your vibrations high. When you function from this level, you will be able to attract more positivity and abundance into your life. The best time to do this meditation is in the morning upon waking up; it is the perfect way to kickstart your day.

THE POWER OF INTERCONNECTEDNESS IN PRESENT TIMES
Volume 25

We are living in extraordinary times. Coronavirus is rapidly changing the landscape of human civilization. A crisis quite like this has never occurred before in our modern, global society. There is a great deal of uncertainty about how far the situation will turn out and how deeply it might affect human destiny. The very human feelings of isolation and loneliness due to social distancing have begun to feel overwhelming for many, so is the dread of falling sick or losing a loved one. The experience is new and disorienting. Life has been deceptively easy until now.

Never before have many of us been exposed to something like this until now – the precariousness of life and the interconnectedness of all humanity. We were happy living life as mini islands, in the false securities and pretences of the busyness we had created, disconnected from nature and the reality of life. And the Coronavirus is showing us how connected we really are and how much we all need to work together, including with nature, as a true world community.

Channeling Fear Productively

This wake-up call has been a truly humbling experience for many of us. At times of great upheavals, people can become  scared, upset and irrational. As we clamor to protect ourselves and our families, we need to have the proper perspective. If we descend into the spiral of fear, it will create unnecessary stress. Stress creates inflammation and weakens our immune system making us more susceptible.

So while realizing that it is the natural human impulse to have fear in the face of a threat, it is essential not to allow the fear to take over our lives. Let us channel that fear productively and inspire ourselves to be courageous; to hold one another even closer and with deeper resolve. Fear has value because it can connect us to others and help us transform together and become more sensitive and humane.

The Interconnectedness Of Body, Mind & Spirit

There is something else going on in the world in these extraordinary times. Great collective struggles create great collective clarity.

It is becoming blindingly clear that health is not only a matter of body but also of mind and spirit. The body, mind and spirit aren’t separate entities. They affect each other continually. They are, in fact, entwined and interconnected and need to work in perfect synergy if health has to happen. Even when it appears that only the body needs healing, the cause may trace back to the mind and treating the root cause brings wholesome health into the body.

The spiritual component of the human mechanism, our ‘Infinite Self’ is this innate natural intelligence which runs the show unbeknownst to us and which is also in tune with the environment and the Universe, the sole hope for all of us in these uncertain times. We need to trust and depend on the amazing human mechanism which has overcome many such grave health challenges in the past.

We as humanity will need to be aware of our wonderful mechanism and not go against the very systems which take us toward life. To listen to our bodies messages and give it extra attention and care would be a lifesaver in these times. We should increase the intuitive understanding or inner knowing of our own systems in order to boost the functioning of our immune system at an optimal level.

The Interconnectedness Of All Life

Another significant aspect that the world has started recognizing is the interconnectedness of all life. No truth is as loud and clear; we are all in this together. What each of us does and doesn’t do can have an impact upon the other. No matter what our health situation is, we are connected with the familiar and the stranger, the strong and the vulnerable. Never before have we been reminded most forcefully of our connection with other humans, in fact with all life.

The Coronavirus is also changing the landscape of our inner spaces. At this point, it is essential to ask ourselves these crucial questions:

How do we treat ourselves?

How do we treat others?

How do we treat our environment?

When we are unable to connect with the higher expression of Infinite Self or our interconnected nature, we create an illusion of duality and live our lives as though everything is separate. Through this illusion, we have allowed the pandemic to invade our existence. The bright side of the epidemic is that the majority of people now see interconnectedness as a fact.

Extraordinary Crisis, Extraordinary Opportunities

Our individual Self and how healthy we are in our minds and our bodies can affect a billion others, just like if you pull one string in a net, it affects the whole. We should look at this seriously and choose wisely as our collective choice can even change the course of human destiny. This is the story of humanity and nature. In the age of technology, we are moving so fast that we forget our role in nature and in the Universe but now is the time to rethink how to be, how to operate and make the necessary changes.

Extraordinary crisis also present extraordinary opportunities. Let us use this time and space to feel the connection toward all of life. The collective pain and suffering we are seeing can be a great motivator to see the links, the interlocking webs of energy among all living things and nature as well as becoming aware of the wonders of our human mechanism. Many already realize that all hell breaks loose when we forget to see this. So, let us reside as much as possible in that space of Oneness and not separation.

The way to go is to nurture faith and resolve so that we can overcome all the hardships and anxieties that are bound to arise during any period of great change. While the old gives way to the new, as individuals, we have an essential role to play; to stand steadfast in the face of adversity and believe in the unity of humankind. Let this time with ourselves bring about a massive inner shift and help us emerge out as more robust, wiser and united individuals valuing everything around us as our own, feeling “One” with All That Is.

 

 

 

REKINDLE

Silence

I was given an hour of silent contemplation during one of my meditation retreats — meaning no talking, no reading, no eye contact with anyone. I always look forward to this part of my meditation retreats. You see, in a world where speed is everything and competition involves making the “loudest noise” to be heard in any industry, I often lose myself amidst the noise and speed while chasing after a target.

Hardly do I have time to quiet down and slow my pace to catch a breather.

I remember when the instructor gave us that 1 hour of silent contemplation of just spending time with one’s self and nature, I jumped like a kid inside my heart.

I decided to just spend time under the trees doing nothing. I walked into an open field, found a spot and lay down on the grass with a few huge trees providing a good shade above my head. The view before my eyes was stunning.

I remember the weather was on my side that afternoon with a just a few clouds displaying their perfect white form against a magnificent blue sky. The whistling breeze created a beautiful symphony with the rustling leaves on the trees that towered above me. “Gush, gush, gush,” was what I heard, the sounds forming waves and waves of beautiful rhythmic patterns. As I lay entranced, listening to nature’s orchestra and observing how the leaves, branches and trees danced around one another… a sudden realization came through.

There were perhaps hundreds of thousands of leaves on tens of hundreds of branches from the trees around me. Yet, they were not competing with one another to get more sun. They all seemed strong and well, providing me with the shade that I needed in my hour of silence.

I Saw It

The leaves and the branches moved in a certain flow, complementing each other. Somehow, they did not get into each other’s way or get entangled. When I observed closely, I realized they grew in a pattern that did not cross each other. Instead, those leaves and branches made way for each other to grow unobstructed. And when the wind came, they all swayed like graceful dancers to the wind’s song.

Then it hit me. Why do I often need to be in that competitive mode, thinking that in order to be heard, I need to stand out from the rest and make the loudest noise? I can be like nature too — make way and complement others while orchestrating a beautiful piece of music (work/ project). Be in the flow of life and sway with the wind, not against it. Trusting that everything will surely work out within this eternal flow. It has always been and it will always be.

As I digested that message, I turned my head to the right. And there it stood.

 

I Saw Her

There. A tree, standing alone, almost completely bare. There were hardly any leaves on her and her branches looked thin and weakly. Amongst all the trees surrounding me, this tree oddly stood out. “It’s ugly.” I murmured in my heart.

Strangely though, I just couldn’t take my eyes off her. As I stared at this ugly, bare tree, I felt deeply connected. It was as though I was her and she was me.

Snap! That was how I had been feeling about myself! I’d constantly thought that I was the odd one out, not conforming to the standards of beauty. The ugliness that I saw in the tree was like a mirror reflection of how I felt about my own body. The disapproval and disgrace I felt about this tree reflected my relationship with my body.

As I looked at this bare tree that stood out from the rest, I doubted she wanted to be that different. She was just who she was. Standing tall and quiet, being who she was. Without competing.

In that very moment, the tree changed my view and my mind about her. I instantly saw her as beautiful, on her own terms.

I Saw Me

As I felt that moment together with the tree, streams of tears started flowing down my face. The truth of what true beauty is unfolded before me through a beautiful tree that I first thought ugly. Deep within me, I knew that was how much I had disliked what I saw of myself.

A deep sense of healing then started to flow as if a dam was opened. I noticed my body wasn’t as uptight as before. Wow! My body had been holding on to the thought and judgement of “I’m not pretty and I’m odd” all these years. The amount of stress I created unconsciously had been stored inside me for so long. And just a moment with a bare tree gave me the revelation that my body had been longing for.

Never have I thought that a quiet hour of silently contemplating and just being amongst the trees and nature would turn into something so healing for my body and so profoundly revealing for my soul.

It is true. Nature heals and she reflects who we are. And oftentimes, what she heals and shows us are things about ourselves we aren’t aware of. And it’s through rekindling our love for Mother Nature that we rekindle the love for ourselves.

Giving and receiving is the nature’s flow,
Allowing myself, indulging in this flow,
I humbly ask Gaia for her unconditional healing,
Affirming that I’m loved after all.

Mother Gaia, how can I ask for more
When it has always been around me, upon me and within me.

THE HEART OF LOVE

Never have I thought that one day I would lose touch with my heart.

Ever since I started my spiritual journey of self-discovery and self-realization, building a strong bond with my heart has been my utmost priority. You may ask, “What does connect with your heart mean?” I had the same question when I first started. My personal explanation would be our instinct or gut feeling. When I’m deeply connected with my heart, I feel safe and oftentimes I can make decisions with clarity and confidence. We are all born with not only 5 senses but also an extra sense. The 6^th sense is the gut feeling/instinct which some feel is too good to be true or too scary to be used.

From Mind To Heart

Being a wedding and event planner for more than 20 years had equipped me with the skill to anticipate potential problems or hiccups and come out with creative solutions. As I reflect back on my past profession, I realized that I had developed a natural attitude of using my mind to think, function and execute. Why? You see, as a wedding planner, I had also witnessed hundreds of couples expressing their deepest love and exchanging vows with each other. Almost every time I found myself asking this question in my mind in a rather condescending tone: How long can this love or vow last?

In my self-discovery journey, I started to change and slowly, things around me changed for the better too. I learned to recognize certain looping emotions which had not only prevented me from feeling love but also had me doubting love. Since then, I have had a better understanding about my character, behavior, thought patterns and much more. I had also began to feel the love that had been shut in my heart for years.

Just when I thought life was clicking into gear, unexpected and unpleasant news and events happened around me in quick succession in the recent few months. These developments created drastic changes in my life, threw me off-equilibrium and had me questioning everything about life all over again.

Disconnection

I felt lost. I was lost. Lots more fear surfaced. All my intuition, passion, motivation and even my life vitality seemed to just go “poof”. Losing the feeling of love and the connection with my heart frightened me. It scared me to my core. I could feel a shiver coming out from deep within.

I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit and do nothing. As a problem solver, I told myself there must be a solution for this; there must be something that can fix this situation and find my way back into my heart. There and then I decided to go on a water fast.

In my past experience, the water fast impacted my growth positively. I remember feeling lighter, brighter and even clearer after a 7-day water fast. Let’s do that again, I told myself. Let’s get the connection back — the connection with the love I used to feel within.

What Went Wrong

But this time it wasn’t the same. I struggled to even get through my first day of the fast. So I pushed myself further. I instructed my entire body and mind to pull this off together. On the second day, I felt really weak and suffered a bad headache. I felt drained emotionally. It was worse than when I wasn’t fasting. Yet, being a stubborn one who goes strictly by the book, I forced myself through even harder.

That’s when my body snapped. I couldn’t function. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t do anything at all. I just wanted to lie in bed and give up everything – all my roles, responsibilities, dreams and purpose. I felt so suffocated.

From my perspective, swimming against the current makes me stronger. For me, this was me loving me. But why wasn’t it working this time?

After a discussion with my peers, I realized that I had been pushing my body and myself against my true wishes. I could have exercised a little more love and be gentle with myself but I did not. Instead, I chained myself down even more by wanting to get back to how I was before I became “lost”. What if I’m not supposed to go back to how I used to be but rather, be different from before?

Then I saw this beautiful quote from the Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh: “You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.”

Love Is Free

Though loving myself, I felt suffocated, I didn’t feel free at all. Suddenly, it hit me and everything became clear. I realized I was overlooking the part about listening quietly and patiently to my body.

All the while, I was living my life with force. I was loving myself “forcefully” because I felt the need to do a lot of things, I felt the need to fix myself in many ways – physically, mentally, and from the aspect of my personality. I had never once trusted myself to be who I am. I had never trusted my heart when she whispers lovingly to me that “I am more than enough. I’m beautiful, I’m magnificent.”

Then I decided that it’s time to let loose and let go of all my wants, even the want to love myself, and just sit still quietly to listen to my heart. And that was when the magic happened. I felt my heartbeat once again. I felt the divine love flow through me again. It flowed through everything that was happening to me. Through a conversation with a friend, through a quote that popped up on my newsfeed, or through a gentle breeze from Mother Nature brushing against my face. I felt loved.

I know I am again a changed person. All along, I thought I knew what self-love was, and what the heart of love was. I have to admit that I missed the blind spots due to my self-proclaimed smarts.

What brought me back to my heart was taking a pause to drop everything and allowing myself to not do anything. I found myself a great spot in Nature (it’s best to be in Nature for these moments), where I sat very still and quiet, closed my eyes in meditation and just LISTENED to all the conversations that my heart wished to share with me. All that was needed then was to just allow the magic to happen. And it did.

My heart of Love beats once again,
Pounding stronger and louder,
With grace and ease,
Knowing all is well,
All it is.

“You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

RETURN TO LOVE
The Secret Of Finding True Love
Volume 23

LOVE O LOVE, where art thou?
I Am Everywhere
I Am Nowhere
I Am all around you
I Am In You
I Am Everything
I Am Nothing
I Am Everything in the Nothing
I Am the Nothing in Everything
I Am that I Am
I Am as I Am

Goodness Is Love’s Presence

Love is good! Love is in the air! In every breath we take, there is Love. In every breath we exhale, there is Love. Love is all around – in the air we breathe, the scents we smell, the sensations we feel, the sights we see, the sounds we hear, the flavors we taste.

It is universally accepted that the presence of love makes us feel good. If love is everywhere, why then do most of us feel miserable and unhappy? Why do we feel dissatisfied?

The logical mind will give you all the reasons for unhappiness because we have not achieved this or that in our lives, careers, relationships and so on. As if achievements and possessions are all that we need to make us happy.

On the other hand, can the unhappiness in our lives be simply explained away as the absence of love? Or is there more to it? Would it be worth our while to know? When really, was the last time we stopped to contemplate on love?

Love Is Not A Romance Novel

Over centuries, we have been conditioned to believe that love is that “heart-longing” for another person who “completes” us. When we truly encounter this other person, we would feel alive and electrified. Life would never be the same again. We would transform our lives with the wonder of “love”. And we would be happy forever after.

Or at least, that’s what the romance novels and movies depict.

After the wonder of falling in love is over and we move on with life with our chosen partner, reality kicks in with children to be raised and bills to be paid. Our lives don’t feel so complete anymore even with the other person who now seems to have transformed into someone else. Whatever happened to all that this other person made us feel before? Sounds familiar?

Love Maybe, But Romance Is Hard Work

In many relationships, the “love” that once was seems lesser with time because we had fallen into the habit of expecting how others should fulfill us physically and emotionally. Over time, we realize our partner is all too human and can’t find time to carry on the romance with us perpetually. There is no forever after. Romance is hard work.

But in the first place, do we even ask ourselves why we even need someone else to “fulfill” us? Is it because we are not “full” or “complete” in ourselves? And if not, why not? Why don’t we love and “complete” ourselves?

Taking Responsibility – The No Blame Game

Even when we decide to embark on a path of loving ourselves, a path of self-love, we tend to shy away from realizing that we are the ones who tie ourselves in knots of tension and stress.

Which is the biggest irony, because all the low self-worth and esteem issues are basically self-inflicted, thanks to traumas that program us into believing we aren’t good enough. Social pressures dictate how things should be, how we should behave and how we should respond – they rob us of the chance to be ourselves, lowering our self-esteem even more.

Truth be told…when we enter a romantic relationship with wide-eyed expectation, a lot of control issues are unearthed from within us. Plenty of self-worth issues are brought to light. Amongst these is the tendency to blame the other for whatever’s not right in our lives.

The question is do we choose to continue with the “blame game” or do we choose to acknowledge that the problem is perhaps within ourselves and not in the other person? In other words, do we dare be responsible for our own lives?”

Accepting & Loving The Self

When we surrender and forgo our expectations, we melt away our judgments. We start accepting ourselves as we truly are without pressure to conform to social expectations. Doing all these, we give ourselves permission to return to our authentic heart where true love lives.

With self-acceptance, we begin our self–love journey, accepting our insecurities, anger, guilt, fears, negative emotions and shadow. But many of us struggle to even acknowledge that we have fears and negative emotions. We often times convince ourselves to think we are “positive” people and problems only happen to other people. For example, we think that events from our past are in the past and they no longer affect us. But our bodies have their own minds and will not agree with that thinking.

The Emotions That Impact Our Lives

Negative emotions must be properly acknowledged, released and transmuted at all levels of mind, body and heart or they could fester and manifest as chronic problems such as depression, body aches and pains. Indeed, many research studies has proven that emotional stress is one of the biggest triggers of cancer, heart problems and auto-immune disorders. At the socio-emotional level, negative emotions may cause patterns such as difficulties in socializing, recurring breakups and frequent job-hopping.

Many health issues are manifestations of emotional blockages of our own doing. It has got nothing to do with others. Our emotions are our responsibility. Nobody can make us angry or sad except ourselves. When others trigger anger, sadness or fear in us, they are showing us what we are emotionally holding on to. We should thank them because they are doing us a favor by showing us what we need to acknowledge and accept within us, thereby giving us the chance to return to love.

Surrendering Our Need To Be Right – The Art Of Forgiving

I often get skeptical looks when I suggest forgiveness as a path to letting-go – to forgive truly, deeply and thoroughly.

“So, I need to thank and love the person who made me so angry, sad, broken and did all that ‘bad’ stuff to me?”

The answer? A resounding YES! But our egos will challenge it and demand, “Why should I forgive when I’m RIGHT!?”

But what is right? Right in whose mind and from which perspective?

There is a constant battle that goes on between the self-righteous ego and the other part of us which wants to let go. The result of these inner battles are physical tensions and emotional stress which could end up as emotional problems, bad relationships and disease.

Now, what if we allow ourselves to surrender the need to be right, what then could be the possible outcomes? Give this a try and find out. For one, see how you begin to attract better relationships into your life.

Return To Love

The journey from the ego mind back to our hearts is the journey worth taking. It is a return journey home to love.

So, what is love really?

You may have heard that amongst many things, love is the all-powerful energy that heals. Yes, love heals us of afflictions of the body, mind and emotions… and more. We fall in true love and not in the illusion of love. What love is depends on your experience of it as you progress on this return journey home to love. There’s no right, no wrong. Enjoy your journey.

Love is Love
Love is Above, Love is Below
Love is Within, Love is Without
Love is Light, Love is Dark
Love is Love, Love just Is
Return to love and that is all there is.

SACRED CONNECTION
Volume 17

Putting The Child First?

The interesting thing though is that there would not be a family if the two that started it all did not get in some way, involved with each other. And if something were to happen to pull these two apart, the family is usually affected regardless of how big the family is or how old the children are.

Why have we been conditioned to put our relationship with our spouse last? Perhaps our fears of not being in control, of judgments and expectations get in the way? Your spouse is meant to be your life-long partner. Your children will have their own lives to lead. Yes, there are times when a child’s needs come first. But not continually, and surely not at the expense of your spouse.

Is A Marriage Conditional?

Could it be that we have been conditioned to believe that the love of a parent for a child or vice versa is unconditional but not the love between life partners?

Children actually learn a lot more about love when they observe the love  dynamics between their parents, than when they are showered with love themselves by their parents.

The relationship between their parents first and foremost helps children learn about unconditional love, sharing, giving and responsibility for their fellow human beings.

The loving relationship between parents also teaches self-love for children will be able to see from the relationship dynamic that one cannot have a good relationship and respect for another person unless one loves oneself first. Such unconscious, or even conscious, learning helps children become more loving life partners and therefore have happier marriages of their own. Another important point is that if you spend time immersed in marital problems, you have less time to spend with your children.

The Love For Spouse Vs The Love For Child

Marriage by the most common experience is a bond, let’s call that “love”, an attraction, a sense of companionship or togetherness between two individuals.

Perhaps it is because we think that the bond between parent and child is unbreakable (“undivorceable”)? And thus the “love” lasts longer and is more intense. If you were to ask a newly married couple, they would also tell you that their love for each other is intense and they feel complete with the partner of their choice. This person is also a reflection of them and helps them become better  persons. Does this sound familiar?

Has Romance Failed?

Over the years, after both have built a family and coped with the many distractions life throws in one’s path, often couples feel a nagging emptiness, and they search for ways to make it go away. Each side wonders how he or she could have fallen in love with that other person. Each questions if the partner still loves him or her. Or has the partner now become too “different” to even be recognized as the same person whom one married all those years ago?

So couples try and take steps to remedy the situation: they may take a romantic cruise, pick up new hobbies, learn better communication skills, sign up for a counseling program, and what not. But these are temporary measures though.

What Can You Do?

This is why it is important to nurture your relationship with your spouse from the very beginning. Oh yes, you say – we do go out for “date nights”. It is not just about spending superficial time with one another although that may be an important part of your relationship.

When you are together, be truly together, be fully present in your partner’s energy when you spend time with him or her. Be fully immersed sensually with your partner while you are with him or her – see, listen and feel. Don’t analyze but feel the moment with your partner and express your love and appreciation of your partner wholly – physically through loving gestures, mentally through understanding and emotionally through the giving of your love.

Romance is a small part of it, it is a tool to use to make things exciting but don’t confuse the tool with the state of your relationship (i.e. “There is no more romance in our relationship”). If there is a sense of something missing, it definitely goes deeper.

The Sacred Connection

All of us need to have meaning in our lives. And marriage often serves as a huge life purpose. However many people don’t see it this way. Our life partner is the top three most important lessons in our life. Other than our relationship with ourselves and our environment, our relationship with our life partner, is too, sacred.

View your relationship within a sacred framework, a framework that gives meaning to the marriage. The lessons you learn as you serve this life purpose involves growth and healing and being with this other person brings out both the worst as well as the best in you. Your partner mirrors your state of heart and your family’s physical, mental and emotional well-being.

So where your relationship seems to be right now, is where you need to be at the moment in the bigger picture of your life. Reflect back on the story of your relationship together – your history. Review the ups and downs, find out what the special meaning of this journey together is.

You could be surprised at how much you have grown and shared together, this is what makes your relationship special, and to be treasured and nurtured. The magic between you was created, nurtured through the love, the mindfulness and the attention you gave to the relationship and also to each other personally.

Nurturing The Sacred Connection

Although this is a process happening deep within, it needs to be expressed to each other so the other may see it. Yes, perhaps this is when learning communication skills would indeed come in handy or learning about different languages of love (Dr. Gary Chapman). Consistent care keeps away negative feelings or doubts about the relationship. Find ways little or big to show that you care for your partner. Start putting your relationship and your spouse first.

Some of the things you can practice daily include really looking at your partner when you talk to him or her, into his or her eyes, and especially when you are being intimate. Make an effort to take time and focus on one another when you make love. Reconnect physically whenever you are together, touch each other, smile at one another. Hug and kiss, regularly. Meditate together, a gratitude or a hugging meditation. Listen carefully and emphatically when your partner talks to you. Fight fair, take responsibility when you need to. Don’t bring up old issues that have been resolved.

Until The Ball Tips Over

Occasionally, depending on where you are in your relationship, one partner, perhaps the one reading this article may need to start first. The “Father of Family Constellations”, Bert Hellinger believes that when someone deals you something positive or negative, you should give back even more. To get the ball rolling one side has to push harder so that the ball tips over. When it gains momentum, both will be affected and the other partner will start to reciprocate. Have faith, stay positive, be patient and trust for sacred magic to happen as you have a very sacred connection with each other.

 

 

 

REBUILDING & REBALANCING
Volume  31

The Interview

1. Master Umesh, what can we expect in 2022? What’s the general outlook?

2021 was all about restarting and resetting. It was a year of changes and adjustments due to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic energy. 2+0+2+1 added up is 5, which energetically means change. So 2021 was a year of change with choice being a significant factor.

2022 is going to be the start of new decisions. Having made your choices, this is the year for you to start flowing, moving and going. 2+0+2+2 add up to 6 which energetically means nurturing, family, balance and harmony. 2022 will be a year of rebuilding and rebalancing.

People will be more health conscious, spending less time on work. The next few years will be about how to balance our work, life, finances, relationships, health, etc.

The world will continue the Covid-19 recovery process. With more countries gradually opening up, there will be more people moving around with more activities and exciting times ahead.

There will also be more and more people awakening and starting their self-realization journey. The year will have people searching for the perfect balance between material and spiritual matters.

There will be new developments spiritually, mentally, technologically and physically as there will be an expansion of thought, the self, technology, the internet, and more awareness of Mother Earth. People will adjust to a new beingness and new things. There will be more letting go of old energies.

2. What does one need to focus on, particularly, for personal growth?

In terms of personal growth, many will find themselves revisiting and re-evaluating their foundations if they had not done so in 2021. This is because many have forgotten their roots and without a solid foundation, it will be a challenge for them to find their footing and direction. They may not be able to take flight and soar when the world energies start to stabilize and recover in 2022.

To do that, people will first need to be more open with themselves. It has very much to do with reconnecting with their hearts and minds, and be able to look at and accept what’s really happening and what’s not happening in their lives.

Once they are more open, they will find 2022’s energy supporting them in their work, creating an effortless flow of energy.

Because of Covid-19, many people have been forced to go within. This year, we will see even more people going within and the search for personal growth will be more than before.

3. What do you mean by “foundation”?

Foundation here means a person’s root or base. It includes all the different aspects of his/ her life, such as self, family, career, money, love and health. Are these areas given the right focus and attention? Do these areas need to be redefined, adjusted or fine-tuned?

Is your foundation strong? When your foundation is strong, it will ground you and propel you at the same time.

People need to be courageous and rebalance their lives when needed. Be open and honest with yourself. Be willing to see and change, or accept, whichever the case may be. Only then can you drop the old ways of thinking and doing which are no longer supported by the current energy.

Some of you may need to continue remembering who you are, remembering your origins and remembering all who have supported you. Don’t forget your roots.

4. How does anyone know if they are ready to go within or if it is actually “spirituality” they are looking for?

If you are experiencing emptiness, loneliness, unhappiness or you feel lost and depressed for no reason, these are signs of your wake-up call. When these happen, you will know it is time for you to go within and have a deep conversation with yourself to see what is happening.

If you are unsure, attend meditation classes that are conducted by trained facilitators. Learn to meditate and go within to seek clarity and direction. You can also take up yoga or get counseling from qualified spiritual practitioners.

There are some who are afraid to visit a spiritual or meditation center, that’s fine. Just follow your heart and, for example, find someone you trust to explore this new interest with.

Especially if you feel depressed, it’s important to ask for help or talk to someone you trust. When you are depressed, your heart feels heavy.

You feel stuck and are unable to function. You can’t feel or think properly because your heart is having a “downtime”. This is why you need to reach out and seek out friends whom you can trust.

5. What about the business sector? How will business organizations fare?

Most businesses can expect improvements in 2022, with industries such as banking, finance, hospitality, travel, transport, commodities, medical and property having particularly good prospects, especially in Asia.

With the expansion of Earth’s consciousness, “Go Green” will be everywhere. Companies that embrace this concept will be more aligned with the Earth’s energy and will enjoy greater success. Green energy is about saving, loving and caring. Just like the feminine nurturing energy.

We can already see changes in corporate leadership where women and younger people are taking the lead in running organizations. This trend will continue.

6. What about lightworkers? How can they best serve humanity with more people awakening in 2022?

Remember, we are not only human. We carry the essence of the multidimensional universe.

Even though Covid-19 is on the recovery track, people still have fear about it as everything seems uncertain. Furthermore, people have a natural fear about things that they don’t know about or can’t verify. They will have many questions and as more and more people awaken, they will need guidance.

It’s the job of lightworkers to show the way of light, compassion, love and kindness. This is why we are here. Self-actualization is to be who you are and do what you’re here to do.

Connect with your heart, your Higher Self, the Earth and the Universe. Get into your true beingness. Hold your light strongly. Attract and reflect your light. You see, your light will attract those who need help and guidance, and when they come to you, you reflect the light that you are.

7. What is your final message to our readers and community?

2022 is a year of rebalance and restart. Find the right balance be it in your work, relationship, health or other areas of your life. Do not be afraid to restart if you need to. If you focus correctly, it will be a more powerful, more positive and more productive year. In fact, 2022 will be a turning point to pivot for a better Earth when more and more people remember their roots.

So my message to you is very simple:

• Look at what you are doing to yourself.
• Are you aware that destructing the planet is also destructing yourself?
• Stop destructing yourself.
• Stop comparing and competing with one another. Competition is destructive.
• Stop destructing your relationships or creating disharmony in your families and organizations.
• Stop emptying the seas, stop deforestation, and stop other destructing behaviors.

Remember, the Earth is not only connected to us. It is also connected to the Universe, the moon and the stars. What happens on Earth also affects the Universe. What happens to the stars also affect us.

Cultivate self-awareness. Do things for the betterment, not for the worse. Work toward alignment of Self, Earth and Universe to bring Oneness. Make it your goal for 2022.

The energies for 2022 are excellent, superb and fantastic. Focus on the right thing, create a beautiful Earth and a beautiful self.

 

 

 

A NEW GALACTIC CYCLE UNFOLDING

We are back!

Lemuria Light’s prediction has been silent for half a year because the timeline was not optimistic and it was not possible to maintain the accuracy of event details.

Many things have been happening behind the scenes. This is why so many people are distressed with some experiencing extreme polarity.

Flying Colors

But look at what humanity has achieved! We are ending 2021 with flying colors:

1. Certain light grids are built defying all disturbances and are now contributing to the awakening in different parts of the world.
2. We survived!
3. Fear energy is under control.
4. Many dark networks were cleansed in 2021.
5. People are starting to ask important questions and looking for real solutions in life.
6. Suffering levels have dropped.
7. Humanity’s immune system is getting stronger.

You may think It could have been better. But people’s consciousness takes time to converge, learn and expand. There are still many opportunities that lie upon these times. But that’s not supposed to be the main focus of getting back to normal. It’s impossible to get back to the old ways.

We should ask ourselves deeper questions about life. Explore the unknown. Try something you did not dare do before. Step out of your comfort zone. Learn new things.

The Matrix Ends

It’s 2022. A year of miraculous breakthroughs with unimaginable events. We are at the tipping point. 2022 will be the year where divine intervention ends the illusion of the matrix. The Physical Transmutation will take place.

We have won. The negative timeline is falling away.

We just need to keep living life to the fullest.

By the end of 2022, the first contact with the benevolent star force or ET civilization is going to happen, which will hand some very powerful healing technology to the earth. This will be written into human history.

Right Now

Some are experiencing distress or depression. Some feel demotivated, hatred or irritation. Some are recovering from despair, some are healing and some reassessing. Some others are experiencing upliftment, revelation, inspiration.

Whether it is challenges or upliftment you are experiencing, they are your “UPSR” (Malaysia’s primary school achievement test). Connections with certain unresolved energy are entangled with each other. Staying light-hearted is the best gift you can give yourself.

Treat this period of time as your final exam.

Let’s focus on our spiritual community. Many people are in distress; they have tried many practices and yet couldn’t rid themselves of the negativity e.g. yoga, sound healing, energy healing. Well, this is because of this UPSR final exam is stretching your limit. Whether you fall into despair, is attacked or are perplexed, this won’t last forever. It will be relieved after 21 Dec 2021.

The end of 21 Dec 2021, 23:59pm or beginning of 22 Dec 2021 will yield the highest potential to witness benevolent ET in the sky.

 

TRIBUTE TO MOTHER OF ALL MOTHERS
Volume 14

Meaning of connection: “Something that joins or connects two or more things, the act of connecting two or more things or the state of being connected, a situation in which two or more things have the same cause, origin, goal, etc.” (Merriam-Webster)

Who Are We

Many of us, whilst in our 20s and 30s, believe that our careers and marriage would be a priority and achievement in life. There are also many who believe that purchasing an expensive car, a big house, a luxurious holiday trip or an expensive handbag, would warrant a pat on the back.

Often, we don’t even realize that we can lose the essence of who we are as we live our busy and stressful daily lives. Our goals and dreams may be pushed to the back of our “cabinet of priorities” and some of them may never be brought out into the light again.

I believe that no matter how busy we are striving to live and make ends meet, we have to honor ourselves and connect with our true essence. Each of us is unique in our own way and nothing and no one can put us in a box, or label us as this or that.

Losing My Connection

If you had asked me previously with whom I was most connected to, I would have said it was my family. For 18 years, I had put my daughter and my ex-spouse at the forefront of my life. During those 18 years, my connection with myself was so fragile and even “invisible”, and I was completely lost as to who I really was. I couldn’t remember what I was passionate about, or what I enjoyed doing. Day in and day out, I was only going through the motions of “living” life, and that too in a mechanical fashion.

Losing the connection with my true self plunged me into deep depression. Distracting myself through work on the other hand blinded me to my real dreams.

Re-Connecting In Meditation

Thank heavens I came to my senses and reached out for help. And that was when I found a way to reconnect with myself – through meditation. Contrary to what I had thought before then, the meditation that I learned and which I still practice to this day did not involve any chanting or religion. But what it did was assist me to go deep within myself and re-discover my potential, my self-worth and my love for myself. It reconnected me with my mind, my heart and my body.

Connecting With Mother Gaia

A life-changing meditation which I learned at a workshop was the one that brought me into the loving embrace of Mother Gaia.

This happened not too long ago and it was my very first contact with Mother, a contact which was extremely deep and meaningful, and which will be etched in my heart forever. In that meditation, I felt wave upon wave of unconditional love, peace and support coming over me, making me tremble in blissful appreciation for Her palpable presence for the first time in my life.

Her energy was so strong, so positive, so empowering, that I had no other choice but to finally tear down the “Great Wall of Sucy Chan”; that great, thick wall which had not only defended poor little me from the things that I feared but which had also shut out the love and happiness which I had sought for. Mother Gaia gave me Light to finally see the Darkness that I had enveloped myself in; and she also blessed me with the compassion to know I am not alone in my pain and sadness.

Since then, Mother Gaia has always been here to propel me forward in my mission to learn and regain the remembrance of Who I Am. I feel her always: her presence, love and warm embrace. She balances and grounds me so that I do not need to escape but stand firm to fight when I face my own shadows. Mother Gaia helps me re-claim my power. She allows me to release to her negative energies and darkness, and then she heals and nourishes my body, my soul and my consciousness. She brightens my outlook of life and now I appreciate every little gift that comes my way.

I call her Mother of All Mothers. Giver and Taker of Life, Nurturer of All Beings – animals, plants, minerals and humans. She has given me a piece of Heaven on Earth, a place to call home while I am here in this world. For all she has done for me and humanity, I feel that I have not done enough to spread her message. Even though Mother can heal herself faster than I can say “Yay!”, she needs us to respect and honor her.

Can we just take 5 minutes a day to think positive, feel positive and be positive? We can create a positive, harmonious, interdependent and thus interconnected society of living beings who love and respect one another and thus create a better world for all of us to live in. Positivity directly affects Mother Gaia energetically and also encourages her Children to give back and support Her. We do this by choosing eco-friendly alternatives to the food we eat, the things we use and the way we dispose garbage, among other things. In other words, we choose eco-friendly alternatives to our lifestyle. We must continue to make positive choices that affect Mother Gaia and of course, ourselves. In honoring our Mother, we honor ourselves and the future generations.

“Everything has changed except for your experience. You can keep modifying the outer environment, but nothing will work because you haven’t figured out how to change your karma. Something else seems to be pushing your buttons. Someone else seems to be driving your car.” ~ Karma: A Yogi’s Guide to Crafting Your Destiny

I often watch Sadhguru on YouTube and I find the way he teaches to be both riveting and inspiring. I resonate with his sense of humor which at times can be cheeky. I especially like it when he uses the imaginary comedic figure called Shankaran Pillai to relate a story which would later be used as the backdrop of a lesson or realization for the audience.

In his latest book simply titled Karma, Sadhguru offers answers to the mysteries of karma, the Sanskrit word used in popular culture to mean “what goes around comes around”. Karma is explained in this book as a way to put ourselves back into the driver’s seat of our lives.

This puts us back in charge of our lives instead of falsely thinking that our karma is a “fate” we cannot change. The subtitle of this book A Yogi’s Guide to Crafting Your Destiny is befitting as Sadhguru explains that karma is responsibility. If we want to take charge of our lives, we must take responsibility – for our actions as well as inactions. Karma are behavioral tendencies (mostly unconscious) so it’s our responsibility to exercise conscious choice in every moment to follow our tendencies, or not. If we live our lives consciously and with responsibility, our tendencies will not rule us, and our future will not mimic our past.

The word “karma” literally means action. But inaction is also karma. As humanity, we are collectively responsible for what happens or does not happen in our world, that is our collective karma. That we are living uninvolved in a world in which bad things happen, that is our collective karma. If we live without any humanity in our hearts for what’s going around us, that is our collective karma. All the ensuing outcomes are our collective karma of inaction.

The book is written in 3 parts. Part One looks at the building blocks of karma and what karma actually is. Part Two focuses on the technologies of transforming karma which I found profound yet practical. Part Two in essence tells us about karma yoga, the process of using our karma or actions to liberate, rather than entangle, ourselves. Part Three is given in Q&A form – searching questions that Sadhguru had been asked over his 3½ decades of teaching.

As we course through life, we instinctively sense the network of connections between our actions (or inactions) and outcomes. Karma is written in an engaging and penetrating way that evokes memories of experiences we are all familiar with. For me, this book brings to light those connections and how we can consciously use cause and effect to bring our life to mastery. No more blame. No more victimhood.

This enigma called karma has an irresistible pull. Some may even dislike its influence in their lives but yet, find it magical once they know how to work with it. With Karma, I find karma more fascinating now than before, even as some of its mysteries are unplugged. A stranger no more, karma is now a friend that empowers me.

Note to readers: In Volume 12 (April-June 2017) of bodymindsoul magazine, we published an interview with Sadhguru and also reviewed his book Inner Engineering A Yogi’s Guide to Joy. Do check out these 2 articles with your free membership access to discover more about the revered guru.

Sadhguru
Founder – Isha Foundation
www.ishayoga.my

WHAT I LEARNED FROM “GOODBYES”

Puppy Love

I was 15 when I had my first crush. He was 4 years my senior and we went to the same church. My aunt would tell me countless times about how smart he was. I guess that was one of the reasons why I was besotted with him and felt that he was the perfect guy for me. When he left this country to further his studies, I was sort of “heartbroken”. This was my first “goodbye”. I was sad for a while and learned that life goes on with or without the “love” I thought was meant for me. As with all “puppy love”, I soon got busy with my studies and forgot all about him.

Being an adult now, I have had my fair share of falling for guys and when love is unrequited, I comfort myself by saying, “I am a child of the Divine, it’s okay, let’s move on and find love again.” I have heard stories of marriages gone wrong, relationships went awry and people falling out of love. I learned that to love is to be vulnerable, which means hurt is inevitable, but then good moments are also hard to come by, so I learned to cherish the good and say “goodbye” to the not-so-good. I believe that love will eventually find me or it could be the other way around.

Bestie Love

The second “goodbye” came when I was a young working adult, fresh out of tertiary education. My “bestie” or what we term as BFF (best friend forever) nowadays, passed on suddenly. And I wasn’t around to say my last words to her.

She was one of those rare friends that I have ever had. We were classmates from primary to secondary school. My dad was very strict with me and I was not allowed to go anywhere, except school. I was not even allowed to attend co-curriculum on Saturdays!

One day, she walked to my house from school, which took about 20 minutes, and asked for my dad’s permission for me to stay overnight at her house! Wow, I have never met anyone as brave as her — facing up to my dad. And she became the first friend that I got to stay overnight with; my first experience of being away from home.

I was an introvert and she would tell me to just talk, about anything! Because of her encouragement and “shelling” for me to come out of my shell, I became more independent and confident with myself. I also learned to be more considerate and sociable. She had this habit of bringing a gift or what we termed as “buah tangan” in Bahasa Melayu while visiting and her habit has since rubbed on me. We kept in touch and met frequently even after we left school.

The Missed Call

After graduating as a lawyer, she moved to another state for work. One day, she contracted a virus that attacked her body and made her ill. She was scheduled to return home for a check-up and she rang my house. At that time, I didn’t carry a handphone as I had just started working. Back then, the handphone was not a “necessity” like how it is now.

I returned home late at night due to work and only got the message the next morning when her dad called to tell that she had passed on. I remember tears just welled up every time I thought of her and I wish that I had spoken to her that very night. Since then, I have got myself a handphone and it is now one of the “necessities” for me.

Nowadays, I always make it a point to get in touch with my closer friends and catch up with them, no matter how busy I get. I learned to appreciate good friends and to never take them for granted.

Mother Love

The third “goodbye” was very painful and I don’t think I will ever forget that fateful day. It’s the passing of my mum 10 years ago due to cancer. I couldn’t believe it when she was first diagnosed. Even after she underwent an operation and chemotherapy, I still tried to deny the fact that she was sick. I kept myself busy with work when I should have spent more time with her. I regretted it till today.

She always gave her best to the family. Even though we had financial constraints during my school days, she never failed to buy me my favorite magazine every month. Just like what my mum had done, I too learned to give my best no matter what.

It took me a while to not cry every time I talked or thought about her. The saying “time heals” holds true and of course the “force from above” helped in the healing process. I can now talk about her without tearing, but it still saddens me each time I think of the things that I should have provided for her when she was still alive.

I learned now to make time for my family the best that I can amidst work and serving in the church. I am also more compassionate toward others who have lost their loved ones. Just as Winston Churchill said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste”, so I try not to let those tears go to waste. I hope I can be a comforter for that someone who is experiencing the same loss, though it may be a different degree of loss.

Hello & Goodbye

The journey of life continues and with each “goodbye”, I believe that there is a “hello” to something new that my Creator will take me into. “Goodbye” can sometimes be good, such as saying “goodbye” to bad habits, toxic relationships, negative people or broken things although “goodbye” mostly signifies pain because it is about letting go of people or things we loved dearly when we least expect it.

May the “hello” we come into after each “goodbye” means sunshine or rainbow for someone who is going through the journey we have traveled before. May we leave a legacy that becomes footsteps for others to follow. May our final words be, “I have no regrets passing through this life.”

I would like to leave you with this quote I found on the internet.

“Never regret a day in your life: good days give happiness, bad days give experience, worst days give lessons, and best days give memories.” ~ Unknown

THE NEW ATLANTIS GOLDEN AGE: APR-JUN 2021 EARTH ENERGY PREDICTIONS

All negativities will be exposed to the surface. Why there’ll be so much craziness is because we are so close to a collective breakthrough. The surface polarity may be overwhelming and thus it’s of utmost importance to maintain harmony at the personal or company level.

What humans have just gone through is the last cleansing of darkness that will result in us entering The Golden Age in 4 years.

Many will experience big waves of emotional surfing. There will be a lot of agitation worldwide especially in the Middle East.

Some groups will experience apathy (usually you can find high EMF source around these groups). The high level of spiritual stress will push us to search inward for solutions to our repetitive problems. The solution may come as an inspiration or dream to point us to traumas that have not yet resolved.

The mental and emotional planes will be in very surreal and accelerated states. Political upheavals in many countries are already in motion as told in our last prediction.

Many who are stuck in the 3D drama will become restless and suffer in despair. People will be looking for solutions to the endless loops they are stuck in and find hard to get out of.

On the positive side, the presence of light will be very strong. If you have a project to help humanity awake, or if you are ready spiritually, chances are that you will be doing very well and will experience the divine grace silently. This is your time to shine – follow the inner guidance!

In the coming months, the outer world will get more volatile. With pauses of a day or two each time, the huge quantum surf will continue – big time!

APRIL

Was March too much? Then you better prepare for the next 3 months! If you are presently enjoying life, you will have a good surf in the coming months. But you are a minority.

Collectively, the coming few months will see emotional surges getting deeper. If you are feeling oppressed, this feeling will magnify in the coming months until July. If you are in a power struggle that does not make you feel good or look good, and you realize that it’s a lose-lose situation, maybe it’s time to reassess the situation before things go really bad.

You may feel that time has speeded up but that’s normal. More surprises will come in the political arena in the form of more dramas and conflicts. Many countries will exert more suppression to cause more emotional surges.

MATRIX: There will be a lot of people making “mistakes” in life during this time; all hidden traits of self will surface. All things will escalate. The key is to be authentic and work at life without playing up the false self. Work from your true authentic self. At this point, only being true can save you from crisis. Stay effective (or sane) by being real.

Stop lying, and work on your authentic self. Maintaining an “image” at this time will not only cost you, it will also create suffering. Be real even when things we can’t face or are shameful of, surface. But the sooner you handle them the better you will be. It’s okay if you choose drama, but be warned that the drama will tend to get more complicated.

The matrix structure has already started its collapse by now. All stories, inauthenticity, evil deeds will consume themselves. You must choose a side. Remember, suffering is an illusion. Illusion is a suffering. And the worst thing you can do is to continue to lie to yourself. For Matrix, it will never get easier after this point.

You are free to choose the collapsing structure by playing the old dramas and games. If you have had enough, and decide to go for a change (but realize you have become very reactive and are being driven by negative emotions), this is the time you need to focus on clearing yourself before anything else.

LIGHTWORKERS: Focus is the key. Don’t get distracted by the duality, the drama, the right and wrong, the what should or what shouldn’t. Follow your heart, do what feels best. Duality will only create problems. The “right” and “wrong” may bring understanding but never the solution. The solution is simply be real … live your own truth.

Does your work limit or uplift you? This will determine what forces are working with you or what energies you attract. Your work efficiency comes from how harmonious your team is. The level of mental, emotional and physical well-being, they all count!

Invest in silver and wear silver items.

MAY

Goddess energy will start its breakthrough in May. Silver is the main energy node to transfer this energy. The second energy node is Morganite. The world will need goddess energy then to subside the stress and tension between people and groups, and heal the mental anguish. This also means that silver price may break through this month or in June.

MATRIX: Oppression, abuse of power and suppressed darkness in one’s personality will continue to play out. The key is to make decisions in harmonious ways. This means you don’t have to agree with others, but do work harmoniously together.

LIGHTWORKERS: More distractions will come if you do not have 100% focus. Life is like meditation, if you are not focused, you are wasting time. Those who master life, master themselves. Be focused and fully present. When you do, all distractions fade into the background. Just like meditation.

There will be a lot of healing needed at this point. It’s best if you teach or coach people how to invoke and connect with their Higher Self. Reiki, prana or energy healing is second best.

The pure channel will be needed more than ever. You don’t have to be in groups to be effective. What you need is a pure heart and the Universe will channel suitable people to you depending on your consciousness level. If you don’t like what you encounter, reflect. Being grateful is the key to hold your vibration high.

JUNE

MATRIX: Lots of people will begin to wake up. It will all start here. The silver price will start to recover, climbing upward towards a finale. A series of big events will continue to happen.

LIGHTWORKERS: It will be of utmost importance to keep the integrity and efficiency of your work. This time, not only will people need healing, they will also be looking inward for a solution in life. But will it be too hard for them to believe?

Get organized and make clear decisions about what you are manifesting.

How efficient are you? How can you best serve humanity? Why is the Universe choosing you as a channel? These are the questions to ask if you plan to expand. If you are stuck, go silent and connect back to the inner peace, inner wisdom, inner truth. If you must, go meet with some other lightworkers.

You won’t need Facebook ads to expand your business. What you will need is a deeper connection, and a clear intention of what you want to do for the world.

Much energy archetypes will be in place for you to align with. Deciding what you want to do may result in changing the entire course of your life. The spiritual community will be in place and ready for the coming mass transitions.

You know the phrase “the night is always darkest before dawn”? You might be well at this point. Certainly, there will be doubts as to which direction your physical environment is moving toward. It may be dark, but dawn is approaching. Keep your feet on the ground; do not absorb the energy of those who are immersed in despair.

It is a question of the “short time” in your time, and of your ability to understand that time as NOT time…

You need to let go and you know you need to.

Postscript

DREAM LEARNING: Many dreams will have deep meaning. Sometimes, it could be the release of an old trauma, or an old memory retrieved. Other times, it could really be what’s actually happening in the upper dimensions. Some people can see what’s happening with the world by dream learning inside the other dimension. If used well, many messages can be retrieved and intuition trained this way.

If you can’t remember your dreams, this could be because your consciousness and awareness are not yet developed enough. If this is the case, the remedy is to remember a key word after you wake up from the dream. Deep meditation helps you remember.

What happens in the dream is sometimes a manifestation of quantum potentials at different space-times. Ask yourself what is this feeling that’s so familiar. Let different revelations come to you without labelling them. If you don’t like what happened in the dream, ask yourself what you are so afraid of.

DUALITY: Are you stuck in duality? You can do 2 things. One is to observe your emotions and mental state when you are at the upside of the duality and also when you are at the downside. This is for you to understand the trauma pattern inside you so you can break through it. The second is to focus on the solution. Duality doesn’t really provide the answers. Wise people focus on deepening the connection with inner guidance, instead of intellectually analyzing what is right and wrong.

JOURNEYING WITH A SOUL MATE

My Story

To the outsider, there was nothing extraordinary about my childhood. Reality was different. I grew up alone, with independent thoughts even at a young age and an innate ability to trust my intuition. This kept me safe amidst a dysfunctional and volatile family environment with mental health and substance abuse issues. My brother Roy was the only person I felt a connection with, a connection which strengthened after his passing in 2006.

I have been psychic since I was a child. I had many prophetic visions and dreams that came true. I had a clear knowing and understanding of people and situations. This gift would help me achieve my dream of seeing the world. I often pick up on travel when I do my psychic readings. It may be shown to me as a holiday or adventure, to break the monotony of life or for personal growth or awareness. The travel I pick up on may also relate to a change in life, a career move or a relationship matter.

A Passion

Travel is my passion in life. Travel has always been more empowering and satisfying for me than any personal, academic, or professional achievement. I often realize how lucky I was to grow up in Australia, to be given the opportunity of education and the ability to make my own money and to live where I want. I have the freedom to make decisions about relationships, marriage, and life in general.

In my travels, I try to stay longer at places I feel a connection with or I make sure I revisited these places. My spiritual abilities are always heightened. I see orbs or imagery and even have more vivid dreams. I often hear, feel, or smell things that other people do not. I often know the layout of places, such as castles or places where spiritual ceremonies had been held in the past.

Travel often offers a different perspective, which is something that I innately had as a child. It really felt like I was living with the wrong family and that I needed to get away to start living my own life. It was a gut feeling that things were not right and that I could live a much better life, where people could be kind to one another and bring out the best in others.

I had already decided to travel the world as a child. To date, I have been to 83 countries. My friend Robert Dark ‘Rob’ had a similar realization when just a boy and had traveled to almost a hundred more countries than me.

Rob & Me

I meet such wonderful and interesting people on my travels. I’m always drawn to thought provoking people and all the people I meet on my travels are no exception. One such individual was Rob, whom I instantly felt comfortable with when we first met.

I met Rob in London in 2001 when we were both excitedly waiting to board a bus to do a six-week Contiki tour of 17 countries around Europe. Shortly after meeting, it felt like we had been friends for years. We shared a quirky sense of humor and a scientific understanding of the world.

Rob saw his Science degree as a means to an end, which was to have a good income to travel and experience life. I shared the same view. Life to us had always been more about spiritual growth and experience, rather than money or achievement. Rob and I shared many workplace stories about the scientific and medical environments we worked in.

Rob and I remained good friends after that tour. We both had British Isles ancestry and decided to stay on in the United Kingdom after our tour. We had birthdays exactly one year and a day apart. Since knowing each other, we shared many travels together and had countless chats about travel and life. We were closely connected in so many ways, like two peas in a pod.

There’s Something About Rob

Rob and I thought it was uncanny how one can have an instant connection with someone else and discover in time, that both have had many life events which occurred at similar ages.

Rob had a traumatic childhood and grew up in foster homes. I had a more stable upbringing than Rob although my family certainly had problems. Rob went interstate so that he could further his education and go to university for his degree. I moved to a different state to finish mine. Many people often wonder what it’s like when we meet a soul mate. Well, a soul mate is someone you recognize instantly. It could be a friend, family member or romantic partner. For me, I had the knowing that Rob was my soul mate connection. Although we got along so well, I also had the knowing that we would never be romantically involved. And that would not change.

The wonderful thing is that in a relationship, life lessons can be taught and learned by both people in many ways, regardless of the type of relationship involved. I often wondered if Rob and I had a karmic relationship, where there are lessons to be taught and learned. To date, I’m still unsure whether I learned things along the way from Rob, or I had taught him his lessons. Whichever it was, I know that I had learned many of my lessons through him, lessons which made me a more aware and better person.

Rob gave me away at my wedding four years ago. My father had already passed on 25 years before, and I did feel more connected with Rob than with any of my own brothers and family. Rob was the logical choice for that occasion of my life and most of all, it just felt right. By then I had already recognized our special connection on a spiritual level. We had a very special connection that transcended the female-male relationship paradigm.

Nothing Ends When Love Is

Rob loved the water and was an avid diver. He went diving around the world and was a qualified dive instructor. He was also an amazing photographer and took pride in his many stunning photos, including those from his dives. He told me many stories about his exciting dives, particularly the ones in Africa and Asia. Together, he and I once went scuba diving at Hurghada, Egypt.

One day, Robert Dark ‘Rob’ left – diving off the coast of Western Australia. The exact cause of his death was never found. He possibly had a seizure or heart failure, leading to a drowning. Until today, it gives me comfort that he died doing something he loved.

Rob’s Messages

For me, two things can be learned from Rob’s passing. The first is to use common sense and follow medical advice. Rob often let his pride get in the way and did not tell people the extent of his medical issues which stemmed from childhood injuries.

Secondly, make happiness your currency, rather than placing importance on materialistic things. Rob was a minimalist, who lived his life not knowing what was around the corner. He often said exactly that and told me he did not expect to live a long life. He was happy. He traveled and experienced life to the fullest. Rob was a great example of someone who achieved a great deal from humble beginnings.

I encourage everyone to travel and try different things in life. Be open-minded and receptive to understanding the spiritual meaning of your experience. You never know what you could experience or who you could meet. I hope you meet someone like Rob, who made my life richer because of him having been in it. And to this day, he still does.

SEEDING A NEW AGE: JAN-MAR 2021 EARTH ENERGY PREDICTIONS
Volume 27

Update On 2021

Our Planet is about to go through a huge metamorphosis and shift in the coming days as I write this. The 21st December mass meditation reached the critical mass of 144,000 souls! This powerful energy of the awakening wave has changed the fundamental quantum structure of societies. The old repeating structure has expanded to a higher dynamic that is gravitating toward creativity, peace and harmony.

Many of us will experience the end of the old cycles in our lives which include the end of dysfunctional relationships and moving out of resonance from career, friends, family, loved ones and inner belief systems. But have no fear! For we will actually be leaving behind the old dysfunctional game of duality. The official dismantling of the Old Paradigm has already begun and will continue to accelerate at light speed in 2021.

These are the times we’ve been waiting for! We have trained many lifetimes to prepare for this grand transition!

If the last months of 2020 was about drawing the bow tautly and taking aim, then the beginning of 2021 will be when the arrow is released. This means a super rapid progress will begin in human society. The changes that come with progress will make people emotional, so I would expect the next 3 months to be very intense especially in March.

Everything will bubble up to reach the next level by mid-Feb. We will first notice the increase of “we” compared with previously. This signifies the advent of Aquarius. We advise against chasing clients and numbers. Run a careful evaluation of where your life is heading. If everything seems to fail, you are working with old vibrations and old systems. You need to quickly upgrade your vibes in order to handle 2021.

JANUARY

Understand that this monolithic shift is set by the Universe. One may try using more “willpower” to manipulate or control to maintain the old structure, but under the force of the Universe, these attempts will be futile. Every attempt to suppress the Universe’s intention will only cause events to surface quicker. Just look at Trump (US President until Jan 20)’s election campaign and you’ll see all the suppressed events of the past surfacing. All illusions are bound to break in loud and astounding ways.

MATRIX: In January, suppressed things will start to emerge at personal and national levels. Shocking news will be heard. Local and domestic incidents, scandals and disclosures will fill the internet and the mainstream media. In industries and companies, what is suppressed will bubble up. Things come to a boil very quickly for situations and events that are not aligned to the new structure. This energy will also pose a new challenge to many huge corporations and groups as suppressed layers get released.

Many people won’t be able to sleep well. Anxiety surfaces. People will get agitated, restless and paranoid when they do not resonate with the energy shift. People will be emotional. There will be those who feel like they are going crazy. Many will still cling on to old ways to resolve problems, using fear and anger to motivate themselves.

Fear comes from not understanding our inner strength, where we do not believe in ourselves. So we cling onto outer appearances. We urge everyone to start seeking the light inside.

LIGHTWORKERS: Those who are ready will start receiving clear inner guidance and the inner strength to help them cleanse, stabilize and uplift during these difficult times. Many will become “wayshowers” (lightworkers who show others the way to live inspired and authentic lives). The demand for their services will be created at the physical level.

People will need solutions for their restlessness. Or at least they need to realize they are running on a hamster wheel of the mind. They need to tame the mind, calm the emotions and connect with the peace within. Lightworkers will really need to focus and step up the pace to support the energy and people.

Remember, scarcity is only an illusion you are creating for yourself. Ask and you will receive! The Universe is abundant. Your outer appearance does not control your inner projection, it’s actually the other way around.

FEBRUARY

Inner strength with the right vision will be the key to rise above challenges in February. You may not solve or work things out. Just take a break and breathe. People in positions of authority may find they have more challenges when Pluto is in Capricorn.

MATRIX (PERSONAL): Many things that resemble the old vibrations will start to quickly collapse. The inner turmoil encountered in 2020 was for people to reach an awareness to better surf the physical transmutation of 2021.

When old ways are applied, attempts to handle earthly issues will fail and there’ll be lots of confusion in the crowd.

The key is to understand the dualism that we have put into our belief systems. What do you want Why is there conflict in getting what you want? Why is it unclear? Is your need for success, fame or recognition motivated by fear or love? What trauma makes you hate being judged? But are you yourself judging others? One needs to contemplate and reflect. If you are confused and not able to see what’s going on inside, you may find a professional healer or aura scanner to consult from. If you don’t have the clarity of mind, not only will your manifestation be hampered, your experience in life will also be unclear.

MATRIX (COMPANY): February sees crises in many companies. If you are a company director, it’s important to align your work with the Universe. The Aquarian Age requires us to stay connected with our hearts and intuition. Tip: Change must happen first in ourselves before it manifests outwardly.

You may feel despair fixing people’s problems, have fear attending meetings, feel reluctant to go to work and not be in the “mood” to do what you must do. This is all because the negativity around you is piling up.

You may be one of many to experience entanglements and complications. Again, go inward to make the shift easier. And when you shift your perception to love, you will begin to see the divine purpose of all the turmoil you might be going through and the way out of it.

Fear-based mentalities attract each other. Challenges in the company will be caused by negative minds and emotions. The use of fear in the Age of Aquarius to motivate people will breed negativity and inefficiency. Shift the company’s fear-based motivation into a love-based one. It may not sound practical to those who are not aware of the inward path, but it’s the only way! We urge you to let go of fear and follow your heart in this endeavor. Do things according to your heart if you find yourself being surrounded by negative people and your mood or mental state are affected by them.

Things seem to keep failing and problems crop up faster than solutions. It’s then time to realign your company’s purpose. If you have a purpose to serve people, you would not be able to avoid the stress caused by frequency differences. It may sound impractical and even difficult to serve, but it’s the only way. Let go of the multiple layers of dysfunctionality that will surface. Clearing those entanglements may have a cost, but it will save the future. This is better than doing nothing and having the whole team go through the calcification process.

The new frequencies coming from Source are trust, love, beauty, unity, harmony, equality, truth, understanding, prosperity and creativity. The energies of the Age of Aquarius will become more dominant, and it’ll be a natural harmonious way of life that will guide everything back to its natural rhythm.

LIGHTWORKERS: It’s time to clear up distractions. Focus. Get efficient – do the 20% that brings 80% of the result. Align your work with the Universe, go deep and scale up. Those who follow their inner guidance and the guidance of the Lightforces will start having opportunities that will manifest at mid-year and even earlier.

You have spent many lifetimes training for this moment. A time of cosmic transition is anchoring it all down to earth. 2021 is when all illusions and dysfunctionalities melt away. Mastering yourself was the preparation for you to be at your peak at this time to help others.

Invoke, pray and call in Light!

Although bringing change to a world filled with darkness and having to face the same in many lifetimes seem harsh, Project Earth is where you can change many realities in one place.

“Those who shall stay and endure and flourish and those whose time is up and shall go.” ~ Solara.

You are a multi-dimensional being backed by many high-dimensional energies embedded in every part of your being, personality and life aspect. The purpose is to transmute matter. When so many energies are embedded in one place, it always involves facing the unknown, and the very real possibility of annihilation. Human consciousness propels forward in an unprecedented evolution and transformation, morphing unlimited dimensions from the viewpoint of Source and generating unlimited perceptions.

You are now leaving the consciousness lock that binds you to the human experience, expanding into a never-ending evolution of multiverse experience from the human viewpoint. This means you are about to defy all gravity and limitations that the matrix has compressed into your being. A quantum leap of awareness of how we see ourselves is now birthing.

Follow your inner guidance. There you will realize your connections with every living being unfolding into reality. At this point, you may not feel comfortable as you leave your “cocoon” to explore the world. Go on, allow yourself to explore your starry self or your galactic self by going into deep silence. You will meet your Higher Self at its Center.

MARCH

March marks a fiery start with events that will overwhelm the world. The world’s mass media will show evidence that will bring change to some inhumane structural system. There may be a scientific or medical breakthrough, or a scandal. The dawn of day can be seen on the horizon. Those with competitive mindsets will fear. On the other hand, many cooperative individuals will come together to form small groups or communities for the common good.

Much stress energy will be generated in March, a living fire that will start to heal humanity. Those who are connected to the goddess energy will begin to play very important roles in society – the Phoenix reborn! The Covid-19 virus should be cleared by now as collective immunity is achieved (but there could be a few months of delay).

MATRIX: Half the world will experience hell, while the other half, progress. What you experience will depend on your vibration, that is, what you choose, consciously or unconsciously.

Those who experience hell will be those who vibrate in the energies of discrimination, judgement, separation, lack of integrity, denial, confusion, dogmatic beliefs, etc. These vibrations will push things to fail. The remedy? Fix the duality inside the mind. Start to work on your trauma patterns, clear the poison from your mind and start working with awareness starting today.

It’s not too late to start your spirituality journey now to heal the wound inside. The world may seem to flip, but we can help heal it by first fixing the world inside ourselves that had been set on fire a long time ago. Cleanse ourself when you don’t feel any inner guidance or when you feel bad.

Things will be very different for the other half of the world who will get the Universe’s blessing. Things will progress rapidly for them as they vibrate in the energies of discipline, teamwork, selflessness, purpose, contribution and generosity. This group will find it easier to blend into the idea of living collectively in the future. They may still have an earthly personality, but they will get insights and blessings from the Universe that will make things work for them. There will still be challenges but much support will come forth for them.

Do not hold on to people who leave your reality, it’s time to mingle and form new associations. Flow instead of resist to stay uplifted during this time.

LIGHTWORKERS: There will be demand for new technologies in healing, energy and spirituality. There will be a high demand for lightworkers and we must be equipped to build the New Atlantis.

Scale up! Doing this to help many others is not about ambition. It’s about a beautiful new world we are creating with other light pillars. You may think the “outer” is not your concern. Trust me, building a new world is OUR task. Let’s begin now! The faster we can uplift the masses, the quicker we can achieve Oneness in the world.

There will be more need to connect with nature. Many rural spaces will start to develop. People will be drawn to camping and the outdoors. It will be important to protect nature from the increased human activity. Forest care awareness, trash management and use of biodegradable materials are some of the things that we can have to co-exist with and enjoy nature.

Your inner connection skills have equipped you for the conditions you will be facing. Intense emotions will fill the air and people will need to be coached by healers. People can sign up for the necessary courses or simply learn online. A good reason for people to have physical contact with experienced lightworkers is that the energy body can learn more in the presence of a stronger aura.

You can feel a lot of difference going to sacred sites to learn and remember. The Tachyon chamber for healing can accelerate your full spectrum of wellness.

Following the first contact, the 3 waves of mass ascension can be achieved. This is the fastest way to mass ascension, with the timeline having been set a long time ago. For readers who want more information, please go to 2012portal.blogspot.com.

BIRTHING THE NEW BEAUTIFUL ME
Volume 26

The Ugly Duckling

“When I was just a little girl I asked my mother, ‘What will I be? Will I be pretty, will I be rich?’” ~ Lyrics from the song “Que Sera Sera”

The lyrics reflect how I have always felt about my looks ever since I was young. The words “Will I be pretty?” touched my heart the most. I  remember growing up loving the story “The Ugly Duckling”. I especially loved how the unique and “ugly” duckling, turned into a beautiful swan when she grew older. It nurtured the hope that such a change would also happen for me.

I was labelled a fat girl and all the nasty names related to size that you can think of, since primary school until high school. I was bullied mercilessly by a group of seniors because of my looks. I remember my bosom being ridiculed by my female classmates when I was 12, simply because I was more shapely than the rest of the girls. I started to hunch my shoulders to minimize my “assets” and avoid attention but was sternly reprimanded by my uncle for my bad posture later in high school.

I had never felt comfortable with my body. As an adult, I might seem confident, presenting a positive outlook as much as possible, but deep within me, I nurtured a “low self-esteem seed”, that could not be uprooted so easily.

I’m fat.
I’m ugly.
I’m not pretty enough.
I’m not lady-like enough.
I’m not good enough.
I’m not smart enough.

These were my constant thoughts, statements that played like a broken record at different times on a daily basis. I was never good academically compared with my younger siblings and even with my cousins. I was always the odd one out. This fueled my desire to make extra effort to shine in other areas of my life. I was very active in co-curriculum activities, active in areas where quantitative scores or results could not be used to determine my worth.

All these experiences slowly built a strong protective wall around my heart as I was too afraid to get hurt over again. After graduating from college, I sought success and material wealth to feed the emptiness within me. With event management as my chosen career, I worked day and night without break, chasing after money, reputation, praises and recognition. I wanted to prove the fact I didn’t need to be beautiful to be successful. What I didn’t realize was there was nothing to prove.

One day, I worked with a client who was voluptuous by most accounts. Her beauty radiated brightly and powerfully from within. She smiled with confidence, walking down the aisle with her life partner. That event made me wonder why I couldn’t feel contented and cared so much of how others felt about me. She inspired me to start seeking the true meaning of “beauty”.

A Wake-Up Call

I worked so hard until my body finally collapsed. I was emotionally-drained and I had lost my drive and passion for my work. I felt a serious imbalance in my life from the countless sleepless nights and gastritis that I consistently had.

It was then that I decided to drop everything and start my healing journey. I started by visiting the gym frequently, setting a target to lose those extra pounds. Thinking that once I achieved an ideal weight and ideal outlook, everything would be great again. Little did I know, it wasn’t losing physical weight that I needed. I needed desperately to release the emotional weight from my heart. A journey that started with shaping my outer beauty eventually turned into one to master myself.

Along the way, I attended a program called “Awaken – The Divine You” and it all started from there. It was in that course that I had my very first experience of listening to my wounded heart. Doing that made me realize how much I was rejecting myself.

I wish I’m a boy, not a girl.
I wish I’m thinner.
I wish I’m prettier.
I wish I’m smarter.
I wish I’m not loud.
I wish to speak gently.
I wish ….

I had a long negative “wish list” of all that “I was not”. I could not accept myself for being who I was. One of the exercises which I eventually came to experience was to look into the mirror for 1 minute. But I couldn’t look into my own eyes for more than 10 seconds!

It was a strong message about not liking what I was seeing in myself. It explained why I hardly ever wanted to have my own photograph taken. I couldn’t stand seeing myself in it.

I wept when I realized this. How could a person feel so much hatred towards herself? I had never appreciated my character, nor my physical appearance. I made a decision at that moment to seek the truth, following which the healing began…

The Turning Point

Wearing a bikini was something I would never do as I was ashamed of my body. I was my own worst critic. I felt that I couldn’t wear a bikini as I wasn’t as good looking as the models in magazines. The turning point came when I was on a retreat where all the ladies were encouraged to claim our own unique beauty by walking down the beach in a bikini. It wasn’t coming from an angle where we were asked to flaunt our figure. There was a lot of respect and honor for the feminine side of ourselves.

In our current society, we women have rejected our femininity due to various situations and circumstances. Perhaps, we feel the pressure of constantly having to be strong at work and we forget the grace, softness and gentleness that we were born with. We no longer honor this side of ourselves. And wearing a bikini is usually something, only women do!

I remember that it took a lot of encouragement and support from my retreat mates to decide to honor myself in this way at the beach. I recall feeling so embarrassed, blushing and constantly trying to find a hole to hide myself in, or something to cover myself with.

But a gentle voice from my heart said, “My love, take this opportunity to heal and honor every part of your body that you hate so much. It’s time to love and love all parts and pieces of you now”. It was then, I made a choice to just focus on breathing and allow whatever emotions that needed to be let out do so. I cried but I also felt so much joy within my soul in that unforgettable moment.

Time To Say Goodbye

I took a picture of myself in a bikini again recently and I rejoiced that I felt so comfortable in my own skin. It was an entirely different experience from that retreat. I’m accepting and embracing myself more and more.

It was then I knew. It was the plan that I was given a beautiful journey to experience. A self-love and self-worth journey that I had to claim on my own. All the thoughts that I once endured when I was little, longing to become the beautiful swan, had driven me to seek the true
meaning of “beauty”.

The Universe has been very kind and is constantly reminding me, that I always have a choice. The choice has always been in my hands and is not for others to make. In the past I decided to believe that I wasn’t beautiful. I chose not to see the beauty in me. I allowed others to decide what beauty was.

Today, I decide and choose to see, to feel, every part of me inside and out, as beautiful. The power is within, the confidence is from within. I finally understand the quote from Kayla Itsines (a well-known fitness coach) – “Work out because you love your body, not because you hate it.”

To all of you who are reading this, whether you are a man or a woman, let’s do this together. Look into a mirror and affirm how beautiful and worthy you are, every day. Allow we ourselves to love ourselves endlessly as we are our own best partner in life! See the flaws within  ourselves, with deep gratitude as each flaw has a story behind it. Let us bid goodbye to our old beliefs and allow ourselves to experience life
beautifully. It’s time to march forward to the year 2021 with fewer self-judgments and with a lighter heart. Welcome, 2021!

I dedicate the poem below, to all of us. The magnificent us who were once hurt by judgments or who doubted our own beauty and worthiness.

You are worthy now,
Not when you get that job,
Not when you lose twenty pounds,
Not when people know who you are.
Now.
Simply because you exist.
~ Nina Parker