Friday 23 February 2018

LITTLE GEMS

A mixture of little gems today. For your body, mind & spirit.

1. To nurture yourself
2. Take a breather from the outer world.
3. Creation - this is where the real you and the freedom to express the essence of your soul.
4. Become more aware of the hidden dangers in your foods.

1. What do you do to feel nurtured?
 - Hot soak in the bath with Epsom salts?
 - Reading a good book?
 - Having lunch with a dear friend?
 - Paying attention to your hair, nails, etc.?
 - Walking in the garden/s?
 - Hiking?
 - Picking flowers? (not the neighbors!)
 - Walking along the beach, with no thoughts in particular?
 - Crosswords and puzzles?

Most of these activities are done alone with no outside distractions and demands on your attention. Which flows onto Number 2. A pause, and breather from the outer world. You can be lost in your own thoughts, many a time a wonderful idea or thought will flow. This idea will create an urge to create and express your uniqueness. Sit and ponder..

2. Sigh… Relief.. Expansion…Freedom of thoughts....  Releasing….
Give yourself permission to let go. Let the cares and worries slowly fade….. and dissolve.

Using your mind renewed.

3. This will open the gates of your thoughts to merge into number three.
Creation ahh…. to express yourself, to show the real you.
(I will post an activity below, if you have difficulty of coming up with an idea.)
Your creativity can be expressed in so many ways. Feel free to post how you express your uniqueness.

- Drawing, painting, sewing, embroidery, woodwork, pottery, gardening, writing, poetry, photography, journaling.

Close your eyes, and the colour/s will pop into your head. Images will show and express themselves.
Go with the flow…. There are no judgments, NO RULES, no right or wrong, no good or bad.
Only freedom of your expression.

Courtesy of Digital Buggu 24



To deal with truths, especially emotional truths which are pushed aside because they are too painful. I found the following exercise useful, where I could express my emotions honestly, but it wasn’t in an earth shattering way. It was allowing myself to feel any emotion, without judgment. A way to express myself creatively. Maybe this technique will resonate with you?

EXERCISE TIME!


If you could not think of a creative way to express yourself, or let those tightly hidden emotions out.
I will try to walk you through my thought process and maybe it will assist.

I looked to nature, and the elements found in nature. Water, Fire, Wind, Earth, Wood, Metals.
Then take your emotions and express yourself as though you were nature expressing itself, in its wildest, free and abandoned way.


This then leads me to create the following






4. Finally, this brings me to harmful additives in our foods. The hidden dangers.
Often, when our health fails us we add potions and formulas and supposed miracle pills to make us feel better. I do the opposite; by removing various processed foods or products from my life, has restored my health in so many ways. Therefore it is not just about changing our addictive behaviors and eating habits. Less is More =  less bad habits and foods, for more health.

We may not know of how they can affect us. Only you will know by not eating any foods with preservatives. In a month or two, see how your health and body is responding. Then when you introduce a food product back into your diet. It will be easy to see the difference. For me it can take up to 10 days or more before I notice the difference. Either positive when removing the processed foods or negative when re-introducing the processed food type. 

Many of the additives are slow acting and hard to pin point which ones are affecting me. Therefore back to my rule nothing out of a can or a packet. Until you have taken the time to study your body and reactions.

The additives I am focusing on today, is linked to cancer, MS, asthma, memory loss, diabetes, weight gain, headaches, brain tumours, migraines, Parkinson’s disease and Lupus.

Many of the additives found in natural flavorings, seasonings in packaged foods, beef and chicken stock, are damaging to our health by stealth.

Aspartame is added to many foods and beverages, and sweeteners also known as Equal, NutraSweet Chewing gums have these sweeteners.
Many people consuming large quantities Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi are more prone to develop MS. 

I would like to recommend you do your own research and try to see what foods with the additives are affecting your health. It will be worth the effort if you treasure your health and wellbeing.
Again, I am only giving you an insight of the area's I changed in my life to restore my health. 

You are your own magician!

Stay Strong

Karen








My Wayward Crepe Myrtle

Friday 16 February 2018

INSPIRATION & MOTIVATION


When news from the outer world, impacts on my perceptions and thoughts become dim and dark. I realise and become aware of how it impacts on my peace and inner serenity.

I cannot shoulder the world’s pain. Therefore, my proactive approach is to immerse myself in inspiration and motivation. This week I was drawn into the life of Gertrude Bell. A movie has been made and called Queen of the Desert, played by Nicole Kidman. As usual, I ignore the critics reviews and form my own opinions.

The movie did not receive rave reviews, but I look beyond, to see the courage of a woman in Tehran back in the early 1900s. Gertrude Bell diaries are out of copyright and can be found on the internet, another free gift from the universe.

Great acts of bravery and courage are inspirational and motivational. I like to know and learn about people, who were usually way ahead of their time. They have proven to be forward thinkers and pioneers of our world.

This leads to the question… What inspires you or motivates you? When you realise you are struck with apathy or overwhelmed with gloomy events of the world, or current health problems.

Exercise time to lift the spirits!

What movie or book would you like to take the time to immerse yourself in?

Or

Which movie you may want to watch again you haven’t seen for years which inspires you?

Learn of other people’s great heroic accomplishments. Their stories will show you they are normal people like you or I. Who usually had a different perception of the world and they accomplished great feats. Many were lead by their intuition or a great sense of longing, to do something out of the ordinary.

Many magnificent and inspirational photographs can be found on the internet. Allow yourself to take the time to sit and immerse yourself in a picture, this exercise has the power to transport you to the scene. You can lose yourself when you close your eyes and imagine the sounds, scents and smells belonging to the scene in the photo. Bring the picture to life in your mind’s eye. Create a beautiful inspiring story to go with it. Feel yourself relaxing as you create.



You have just accomplished a goal!
Or
You have a problem you don’t know how to solve.
Picture in your mind’s eye what the problem is and you have overcome and celebrating! Let yourself enjoy the emotion of inspiration and accomplishment.

When you close your eyes. Can you bring and hold that image in your mind’s eye? How long before your thoughts stray onto a niggling worry or another problem is in your sub-conscious?

These exercises will let you become mindful of your thoughts and how you have control, over your outlook and perceptions in life. The news and media rarely show us inspirational stories to motivate us.

Create your own inspiring thoughts. Motivate and inspire yourself with the beauty of your imagination. If you feel you are lacking in imagination, like anything it just takes practice. Be patient with yourself, and create nurturing and healing thoughts - No Big Sticks Allowed!



There are many beautiful and inspirational photographs to be found. Allow yourself to sit and immerse yourself in a picture, let it have the power to transport you to that place. You can set aside today's worries, when you close your eyes and imagine the sounds, scents and smells belonging to the scene in that picture. Bring the picture to life in your mind’s eye. Create a beautiful inspiring story to go with it.

Using this photo, close your eyes and picture yourself on the street about to enter the Cafe.
Imagine the sounds, sights, smells the textures of the picture coming to life.
Are you meeting someone there?

Just Create... Relax…Enjoy! …..Uplift your spirits!

Stay strong!


Karen

Friday 9 February 2018

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU HAVE A CLEAR MIND?

(re-edited)


This thought brings an interesting concept? I always thought I had a clear mind until…. Meditation became so important to my health.

The focus of my meditation wasn’t just about relaxation or taking time out.

I learnt to focus my intent and meditate with a precision and discipline. Because I was fully aware, my life depended on everything I did, ate, thought and behavior's. It wasn’t about taking time out with the thought of feeling good or enjoying myself. I was in crisis mode!

Learning to meditate, when my life had such a short fuse of survival (like a fuse on a stick of dynamite!). My life hanging in the balance meant, there was no time for complacency, and no half intentions. Absolute and full commitment was the price I was to pay.

No distractions, no sharing with others. The only thought was survival and minimizing the intense pain, both physical and emotional.

I am only trying to express the level of commitment and intensity in which I was to focus on learning meditation.
It was a common thread which binds anyone who had survived terminal cancer, in all my readings.

The answers would be found here, and they were.



Meditation showed me how much my mind and life had been in a muddle. Very apt for the western way of life. Which is the way of family, career and busy life style. The ladder to success. All the smoke and mirrors which entrap you into thinking you are leading a good life. An honourable life with the expectation if I followed all the man made rules and worked hard. Good fortune would be mine.

I knew no other way of life.

THEN

I learnt meditation, and I learnt how still the mind can become. How clear and focused with intent, the mind could be trained to possess. My life has never been the same. My perspective on life, and how I choose to live my life will never be the same.

Whether it be a technique learnt, for lowering blood pressure, healing from cancer, cholesterol levels, or many other health issues. Meditation costs nothing by way of money, only time out each day, with focus and discipline.

Why don’t more people do it?
Is it something to be frightened of?
Is it lack of being able to discipline the untrained and wayward mind?
Is it a religion?
Is it apathy?

Everyone forms their own belief system and the value on how they view meditation.
I view meditation as a refuge.
It was a safe place to go with my pain and sorrows. A place which no one else, even came close to experiencing or understanding twelve years ago.

It became my safe place from the rest of the world.
Once my physical pain was under control. It opened my world to the current perceptions and changed how I viewed the no hope situation I was in.

My mind before learning to meditate, was like a pond stirred up after the rain. When it is muddy and murky. To learn how to still the mind and use it to settle ones agitated thoughts from being pulled in many directions, takes time and dedication.


To the mind that is still the whole universe surrenders.


- Lao Tzu


It is similar to viewing the crystal clear water on a pond, once all the mud and murkiness has settled. Where you can see the rocks and pebbles in the bottom of the pond, or the fish found swimming there.

Every image and perception is clear, there are no more cloudy thoughts or brain fog.



Exercise Time for your pondering.

Pencil and paper and your clarity of thought is all that is needed.

Take the time to reflect over the past week.

Drawing a line down the middle of the page with the header on the Left being INNER, and the heading on the Right hand being OUTER.

List all the situations or times you consciously felt LOVE or being LOVED.

Your inner world would reflect such things as. How you felt love, at the sight of a flower, a puppy, a butterfly. In other words, how you perceived images and situations in your life without relying on other people. You are experiencing love though your perception of the world. It may be you have crafted a crooked pottery mug or vase, but you love it because it was how you expressed your inner love.

In the OUTER column, you would reflect or remember the last time your loved one or child gave you a hug this week and told you they loved you. Or a person expressed a love for something you have done for someone else. The outer world and human connection bringing love into your life.

Is your inner and outer world balanced?
Do you put more emphasis on your worth and feeling loved from the outer world? And not experiencing or are not consciously aware of the love coming from within yourself?

Do you experience peace and serenity? Or a sense of longing for something you want or haven’t experienced this week.

I know my inner peace and serenity relies largely on the love I have experienced from my inner world.
The love of a flower, the love of the blue skies, the love of hearing a favourite song, my list is endless.

I encourage you to take the time to explore where your love has come from this week.

Bringing peace and serenity this week.

Karen





Friday 2 February 2018

WHAT IF?

This week has been very interesting, as I have been led to focus on people's perceptions, and the impact on lives from the meaning of words.


How you view words being used by thoughtless people can prove to be empowering or dis-empowering, depending on your belief or mindset. If you are not consciously aware of your thoughts and follow the herd mentality - no offence intended.


The meaning of words flow through and effect a person’s will power. Impacting on whether they chose to fight or passively resign to the fate, being dictated by a person who has never had cancer, or similar diagnosis.

This seems a long and drawn out introduction in an attempt to bring your focus around. To the point of view I wish to make this week. I only care you eventually perceive the different viewpoint, and how easily we can be swayed with the use of thoughtless words.

I will give you two scenario’s you choose, which is empowering and which thought is absolute in dis-empowering and impacting on the will to live.



Exercise Time!


Are you ready? 

Be entirely honest, feel the impact of the following word.




The word is INCURABLE. I hear it flaunted and floated around in everyday conversations.
It is attached to Cancer, Parkinson’s, Diabetes, Ebola the list is rather long…..

Scenario 1 


If you receive a diagnosis of having a disease by a medical person and told it is incurable.
On a scale of 1 to 10:- 
1 = not fighting the belief, it is incurable, and feeling un-empowered. You go home. Life is over.
10 = It is still incurable. But you feel empowered with this diagnosis. (Few people would have such a dismal diagnosis and still feel empowered) It is pointing out the lose... lose situation from this one word. There is no upside.

It is the same when being diagnosed with cancer; you are given statistics of the expected life. Depending on where the cancer is, what stage, primary, secondary, and the list goes on and on and on.

BUT

The biggest change in my life, and why I am still kicking around today, and live with such an attitude. I learnt to change my mind set of being absolutely and totally gutted with the advanced incurable diagnosis.

How did I do this?

I changed how, I viewed the diagnosis given.


Scenario 2


WHAT IF?
The diagnosis of INCURABLE just means medical science and the people working in that area don’t have the answer. It doesn’t mean the answer can’t be found elsewhere!

Now, with this slight change in perception of the word - INCURABLE.




Is this mindset more empowering? I didn’t waste my time and energy where there would not be a solution found, and I didn’t hang onto false hope.

Leaving no stone unturned, once I realised I was looking and putting my faith, and hope in the wrong place. (This took a long time.. I am giving you the shortened version.)

I became more empowered, and no longer lay on my bed waiting to die.

My mind opened to the huge cosmos, and all that is in it. I no longer focused on one small area believing that was where the healing would come from.

I hope by giving you a small example, and how you look at life and the perception of words. Can empower you, or sink you into the deepest chasm of despair that nothing can bridge.

Empower yourself. Leave no stone unturned. You are a beautiful being, who just happens to be facing a few health issues at the moment. Don’t put all your eggs in the one basket. Be proactive and ever vigilant on what and who you invite into your life.

I know I received more benefits by making my life simpler. It had been far too busy and complicated.

If you don’t know what is best and right for you, how would anyone else know?
KNOW THYSELF! You have absolute control, on how to view your life.

Stay strong.

Karen