self-love and me

'twas (almost) a normal Friday morning. I got up, got the bunnies their breakfast (they always get fed and watered first in our house), had my shower, drank my juice.

It was a public holiday (hence why I said it was almost a normal Friday morning) and my husband was still in bed.

I was visiting friends recently and on my journey back to my hotel there was a diversion, which meant that instead of taking a direct train back to where I was staying, I had to go a longer way round via metro and train.

Clearly I wasn't the only person in this predicament as the metro was pretty full. However, I did manage to find a free seat beside a young woman with another seat beside me, free.

Before too long that seat was quickly snapped up by a lad...

Most of us know that only a fraction of our brain is attributed to our conscious mind. Indeed, experts tell us that the conscious mind makes up only 5% of our brain which leaves the remaining whopping 95% of the brain being attributed to the subconscious mind.

Weighing in at a massive 95%, you'd be right to think that the subconscious mind must be kind of important and, most likely, has quite some influence over our lives. And, yet, that's the part of the mind that we tend to, well, just let be, that we tend to let do it's own thing. Is that wise? Does that make sense?

I'm going to say something absolutely ludicrous out loud... "I used to give card readings for free".

There, I've said it. I've confessed.

It's not something, sitting here today, that I'm proud of. However, at the time I had just started out on my journey offering oracle card readings and, well, I was desperate - desperate to get clients, desperate to grow my email list, desperate to be seen and heard.

It makes sense – regular caring for, tending, and clearing our chakras will usually keep them healthy and lifeforce energy (prana) flowing through them smoothly and unhindered. And yet how many of us do it?

More often than not, we only choose to address an issue when it finally becomes a physical hindrance in our life. And yet the majority (if not all) of our physical aches and pains never actually originated that way, they never started off as physical problems...

German-born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein, deemed one of the most influential scientists of all time, discovered that everything, including you and me, is energy.

What does that mean?

Do you know what the most popular topics are for my clients when it comes to asking advice from angel and oracle cards?

The first one is money (or wealth or success… they all fall under the same umbrella)

And the second one is love (mostly romantic love)

And do you know what both topics have in common for my clients?

I recently broke up with a client.

Unlike many breakups, I didn’t use or imply the “It’s not you, it’s me” adage to try to soften the blow, to make them feel better. Because I knew, in the long run, it would not do them any favours.

Rather I advised them, gently yet with honesty, that I could no longer support or work with them. That, in our relationship it was a case of “It’s not me, it’s you”.

Award winning mentor and author, Jackie Contoni, said, "... When days go by without gratefulness, the door can feel stuck, causing an emptiness inside..." I love the image this brings to my mind, perhaps, because it kind of sums me up. And perhaps you can relate too?
 
You see, when I add a new routine or a new habit into my life, I tend not to notice the positive changes, probably because the positive changes happen gradually and discretely over time. Are you the same?

We take our bodies so much for granted and how easy they make it to do the tasks we do each day. It’s sometimes only when something goes wrong, when something stops working in our body, that we realise what we have lost.
 
I remember when my body fell apart. It was January 2006 and I had recently returned home from the adventure of my lifetime – my #2 on my bucket list – trekking to Everest Base Camp...

I don't know much about Emily as I only just met her and our meeting lasted all of about 10 minutes. However, you don't need to always meet someone or know someone for a long time for them to impact your life.

We picked Emily up as we drove near the airport. She was hitchhiking. My husband and I tend to pick up hitch-hikers quite often. She seemed young, on her own, and with a rucksack that was the same size and weight as her. So we stopped.

Deep down, if you scratch beneath the surface and get people to be totally honest, most will share that they believe the world is a dangerous place, that there’s bad ‘out there’, things to be feared, things to feel scared about.

If you scratch beneath the surface of you, if you are totally honest with yourself, would you agree? Sadly, I suspect most people would.

My husband and I enjoyed taking part (well, not literally taking part) in an Austrian and Bavarian tradition a while ago. The tradition was the raising of the Maypole or Maibaum. The original custom dates back as far as the middle ages, although the particular celebration we enjoyed only dates back to the 19th century. Since that time, the maypole symbolises renewal, growth and springtime - a sign that the bountiful time of year has arrived.

Gratitude isn't always easy.

When you feel let down by someone or something, when you feel hurt by someone or something, when something hasn't worked out the way you expected, it can be difficult, indeed challenging, to be honestly and truly grateful in that moment.

Some people think when you live a life of gratitude that every minute of every day has to be overflowing with sunshine and buttercups, rainbows and unicorns, and the like.

However, this isn't so.

I heard somewhere, sometime ago, that following a world pandemic where the majority of people are gripped by fear for their lives (and the lives of those near and dear to them) that after the pandemic ends, another pandemic begins and that is the uprising of conspiracy theories.

It seems that living in fear for a few years gets quickly imprinted on our nature and when we’re given the all-clear, many of us continue to believe that we should remain in a place of fear ...

I had the most amazing open and frank conversation a while ago with someone who is an expert in health and the immune system. I won’t share much about what we talked about here, apart from to say it was positively enlightening and comforting.

However, I do want to share one part of the conversation with you.

What this expert told me was, that if it was up to them, they would encourage people to do 5 things every day...

Have you been reading my short series of blogposts about my transformational journey with gratitude? If you have you may have been thinking, “I would love to experience a similar transformation, but…”

What ‘but’ is standing between you and a happier, more fulfilling life, lovely soul?

I invite you to look inward to understand and uncover your “but”.

There’s an exercise that my energy mentor does and I wish to share it with you.

Will you give it go with me?

Are you open to try a short exercise that uses your imagination? How you feel afterwards might surprise you.

I noticed something...

Over a number of weeks and, indeed, months, whether I was chatting with someone close to me, someone I knew, or someone I may have just met, the same thought kept rumbling around in my head…

Whether I was chatting in person, on the phone, or just reading posts on social media, I couldn’t get away from the same notion…

“Why is everyone so negative, so angry, so consumed by fear?”

.. sobbing alone.

I remember it as if it was yesterday. And yet it’s now almost 6 years ago.

We were on holiday, exploring Spain and flying from one city to the next. We had arrived at our final city, Barcelona. Sun shining, beautiful city waiting to welcome us.

And there I was. Early morning. Sitting in the living area of our AirBnB. In floods of tears...

That title is a bit of a loaded question, to be honest.

Because most of us, who haven’t got the Law of Attraction down to a tee, would look at all the good stuff and experiences we’ve purposely manifested into our lives and seeing that there’s not as many as we would have wished, would shake our heads, saying, “nah… I’m not that hot at manifesting.”

You know that feeling where life is busy, a good kind of busy (you’re getting things done, you’re feeling productive, life just seems to be flowing), and then suddenly, as if the Universe has held up a massive fluorescent ‘stop’ sign, everything comes to a halt, the flow seems to cease, and you’re just not feeling ‘it’ anymore.

It’s horrible, isn’t it?

In the past I’ve had the tendency to put my wants and needs pretty far down my priority list. You see, I’m a recovering people pleaser who, incidentally, has worked in the demanding and, often, drama-filled world of corporate finance.

In the past the needs and wants of everyone around me would trump any needs and wants I had for myself.

Whilst a lot of that behaviour was simply part of my personality, a lot of it was a product of working in corporate finance where the job and its deadlines came head and shoulders above you and your personal life.

If I was to tell you that there’s such a thing as colour breathing, how would you react? Would you be intrigued and want to know more? Or would you laugh at me and think, finally, I’ve gone bonkers?

There are countless studies which report that, in today’s fast-paced, high-stressed world, our breathing is becoming shallower. And, as a result, our body isn’t benefitting from the amount of oxygen that should be coursing through us.

My husband thinks I'm strange because I'm not very good at embracing change. Change that isn't thrust upon me or that I don't choose for myself, well, I kind of resist and avoid it for as long as possible.

When it comes to advice given to you by those around you how can you tell what’s good and what’s not, and how do you know the difference?

That’s a question I have been pondering recently after I was given an unrequested and unexpected piece of advice from a loved one.

Come on, you know the one...

It's that feeling in the pit of your stomach telling you something's not right.
Or the feeling in your gut telling you someone's not quite who they seem to be.
Or that feeling that someone's watching you and you look up to see someone looking your way.
Or that weird creepy sensation you sometimes get when you walk in a house, that sensation that you're not alone (or is that just me??)

Recently there have been a couple of headlines and stories in the British news that I have struggled to avoid. As much as I have tried, they have persistently crept into my awareness. And I haven’t been happy about this because the headlines have been far from positive.

So, I’ve also been asking “why?” – why have they persistently been vying for my attention when I consciously choose to avoid such negativity? And, finally, I think I have the answer.

You know that feeling when you look at someone who has life all sorted, its secrets discovered, and everything’s just fallen into place, life is smooooth…

And then you look at your own life…

That crappier than crap feeling when you realise that that’s for them, not for you. “I could never have what they have”, “I can never be what they are”, “That happens to them, not me”... and so on and so forth.

Sound familiar?

Sometimes it’s the simpler, everyday benefits that will kickstart and maintain our interest to begin our intuitive connection.

For us to invest time and possibly money learning a skill, we need to have a reason to do so; a really good and desirable reason to do so.

History tends to repeat itself because there are always more lessons for us to learn from it, should, of course, we choose to.

The best way, it seems, for many of us to learn, to grow, to change is to work through challenging and dark times, to seek out the light that will carry us through and change our outlook, modify our thinking, update our beliefs.

So, there are times dotted throughout history, just like these recent years, where darkness seems to penetrate and almost wipe out the light.

Actually… before you answer that question, perhaps we should establish what intuition is because you can’t determine how good you are at something or how much you have of something if you don’t know what that something is, right?

When it comes to determining what something is, the scientific world is usually really helpful and a good place to start as, no doubt, they’ll have done a ton of research, experiments and studies to determine the ins and outs of the thing you’re asking about...

Did you know there’s an art to standing up for yourself?

Successfully learning and applying this life skill, doesn’t have to be stressful, nor does it have to create conflict or be done in an aggressive manner. Rather it is a matter-of-fact way of calmly ensuring that those around you respect your worth and your boundaries, and that you also honour your self-worth and your boundaries.

But why should you stand up for yourself?

Have you ever wondered why some people make relationships seem effortless whilst you find them challenging and hard work?

If you find relationships challenging, you’re not alone. When being brutally honest, most of us will admit to struggling at relationships. However, just because you may find relationships, romantic or platonic, challenging now, doesn’t mean it has to always be that way.

Just because you may struggle in some or all of your relationships doesn’t mean you’re not cut out to be in relationships.

Everywhere I turn nowadays, everyone’s talking about the importance of self-care – looking after yourself and seeing yourself as the priority in your life. I whole-heartedly agree with the concept of self-care, because if you don’t look after yourself first and foremost, how can you expect to be able to look after others around you?

But when you’re a sensitive soul, self-care can be an incredibly challenging concept to fully and completely embrace.

I mentioned previously how we removed the final fence that kept the living space separate from the rest of the apartment.

And when we did, and when Olaf discovered that he could roam wherever he pleased in the apartment, there was no holding him back. He was off. Without hesitation and without fear. Very un-bunny-like.

And so his adventures have become a ritual for him.

Strictly speaking, this post isn’t about bunny bonding at all. I know, I hear you… “awwwww”, right?

You see the boys have been officially bonded for a couple of weeks now. We moved them down from their bonding pen and into the living room, starting with a space in the living room a bit larger than their bonding pen, where they lived together 24/7… and I slept close by for a week, just incase…

I’m almost scared to say it, however I think we can see a dim glimmer of light at the very end of this incredibly long bunny bonding tunnel.

However, we did have to break a few bonding ‘rules’ and ignore some expert advice to get here.

I told you in my last bonding lessons instalment that Spring Fever had left the building, right?

Well as Spring Fever was our nemesis, stopping us from continuing to expand the bonding pen, preventing the bunnies from becoming fully bonded, once it was gone we expected to be on the home straight. Indeed, I even allowed myself to imagine the bunnies free-roaming 24/7 together in our home...

We are about to enter month 6 of our bunny bonding experience.

To put that into context so you might gain some insight into how discouraged I’ve been feeling of late: if you follow the guidelines of bunny bonding, it should take between 1 and 2 months for bunnies to be fully bonded.

We’re about to enter month 6…

We’re entering month four of the bunny bonding process. Honestly, I thought we’d be finished by the end of month three. However we still have quite a ways to go…

I’ve probably already mentioned that the bunnies are currently going through a bit of a humping stage in their bonding process.

Believe it or not, humping isn’t just about mating – we have two boys so that would be pretty impossible. Humping, especially during bonding, is all about determining the hierarchy. One day one bunny may be trying to be top-bunny, the next it can be the other. It goes back and forth until they determine where they each stand in the relationship.

We started the bonding process with our two bunnies in the middle of February. And we chose to follow a plan where, every third day of 4+ hours each day involving no negative behaviour, we could expand the bonding pen by half a fence panel (about 30cm).

We started with a pen consisting of 4 panels, aiming towards a pen made up of 12 panels. If you give a few extra days at the start of the process for the bunnies to settle in, it should take about 55 days to reach the final pen size of 12 panels.

We hit a bit of a wall recently with our bunny bonding.

Spring Fever kicked in big time with Bobo. It’s something he experiences every year even though he’s been neutered and doesn’t have the same degree of hormones coursing through his body. All the same Spring Fever arrives faithfully in our home and with it comes the urge for Bobo to hump.

When it has come to our bonding experience, one of the Facebook groups focused on bunny bonding has proved absolutely invaluable to me.

In that group are a handful of experts with a ton of experience in bonding and who generously and freely give their guidance and support as you navigate the complicated and, often, challenging bonding process.

Each and every time I have asked questions seeking practical “how to” guidance, I have been met with sensible, practical, and sage advice.

Do you know what the primary cause is for the breakdown and failure of the bonding process between two (or more) bunnies?

You might be surprised to learn that it usually has nothing to do with the bunnies and everything to do with the humans involved, usually the guardians. Because humans aren’t the most patient species on the earth. And they also come with a rather large ego. Both of which, combined, can lead to disaster when you’re bonding bunnies.

Never in a million years would I have thought that learning how to bond two bunnies would teach me so much about life. And never in a million years would I have thought that I would be writing a series of posts about bunny bonding and sharing with you the life lessons I was receiving.

If nothing else, it proves that no matter what we’re doing, no matter how big or small, how important or trivial the task, life has always something to teach us… if we’re open to see and receive that invaluable lesson.

In my previous (and first) instalment, I talked about how Olaf was reacting out of fear when he and Bobo met, how he would instantly go into attack mode to protect himself.

I’m delighted to share that since those initial meetings, Olaf has calmed down and begun to realise that Bobo, though much bigger than him, isn’t a threat, but a bit of a softie.

Before I share about the first lesson we learned thanks to the beginning of our bonding journey with our bunnies, let me give you a brief history.

Have you ever noticed that when everything finally seems to be running smoothly, when everything finally seems to be working out, BOOM!, out of nowhere you come face to face with one of life's obstacles?

Why is that?

Why, when life is running smoothly, when things finally seem to have settled, that unexpectedly, completely out of the blue, you find yourself against a brick wall?

We all dream. We all wish. We all have ambitions.

If someone were to ask you, “What’s your dream?”, how would you reply?

Would you instantly rhyme off a big dream you’ve been pursuing for years? Would you stare at them blankly because you don’t know what your dream is? Or would you downplay your dream because you think it’s unachievable and they might laugh at you?

Chances are high that before you even read this, I will have already boarded a plane flying to N Ireland to visit my family.

It's been more than 3 years and 2 months since I last met up with my parents, sister and her family. So, it's a trip I've been looking forward to for a long while. However, it's also a trip I've been dreading for a few reasons.

A number of years ago, I was introduced to a short comedy by a couple of dear friends. Watching the comedy is part of their New Year tradition, a tradition they very kindly shared with me.

The comedy is called “Dinner for One” and is about a butler who struggles to help his employer, Miss Sophie, celebrate her 90th birthday.

We can learn so much from those we share our lives with, especially, (I believe) our pets and young children because they don’t hide anything. They’re an open book. What they feel they share. There is no such thing as pretending or putting on a brave face. They’re completely and utterly honest. We, in turn, just have to be open to understand and observe what may be happening in their lives to grasp what may be happening in our own.

We’re just over a week into the new year and how many new gym memberships do you think have been sold worldwide this month so far?

January is the month when gym memberships peak. And yet within 3 months, a whopping 90% of those new members, stop going to the gym.

It’s hard to pass by a news story with the headline, “A novel technique now possible to predict volcanic eruptions now possible, thanks to ‘magma’ foams”.

Never did I ever expect to read the words ‘novel’ and ‘volcanic eruption’ in the same headline because, after all, a volcanic eruption is everything but novel.

As I read about this 7-year study by Scientists at the University of Tokyo, my mind harkened back to my own teenage years where it often felt like magma was bubbling and foaming below my surface and every once in a while it would erupt.

If you’re a fan of Monty, then I don’t doubt you’ll have instantly recognised “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from The Life of Brian.

Even if you have never watched a Monty Python movie, like me (I know! I hear you tut and see you shake your head in despair), then hopefully you’ll still be familiar with the song.

It’s one of those songs that tells you straight-up what it’s about...

I convinced myself that I was a reforming people pleaser and to a degree I am. However, after a recent experience I realised I have a long way to go before I can, if ever, become a fully reformed people pleaser.

“What is a people pleaser?”, you might be asking.

Well, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary...

I don’t know about you, lovely soul, but to me it seems that, over the last few years, the world has been up-ended. It sometimes feels that everything is in turmoil and there doesn’t seem to be an end to it.

Once one thing seems to settle and pass, immediately a new upheaval takes its place.

It’s constant and it’s exhausting. Do you find that too?

I read a really interesting piece of news the other week.

The headline read: “Iranian man who didn’t wash for half a century dies at 94”

You’ve got to admit, it’s a strange headline. However, the content of the article was even stranger… or so you might think.

Amou Haji, the Iranian man in question, also a hermit, believed that if he washed with soap and water, it would make him ill.

Before I get into the tale of the little Dutch boy, a tale you may already know, let me share two facts about him:

• One, he was never real, he was just a fictional character
• And two, he is more famous outside of The Netherlands than he is within The Netherlands.

Most Dutch people have never actually heard the tale of the little Dutch boy because he isn’t derived from Dutch folklore, rather he’s the creation of an American writer, Mary Mapes Dodge.

Inflation.

You may know everything about it or nothing about it, lovely soul, but one thing is for certain – right now, most people throughout the world are feeling its impact.

Are you one of those people?

Are you feeling the pinch right now?

I subscribe to daily "Notes from the Universe", a short email containing an uplifting message in it.

Today's message read: "When fear speaks, it's always wrong." Such a short message with such a powerful meaning behind it. And it hit me good.

Think about when you speak or act from a place of fear. Are you being true to who you really are at soul level?

Sometime ago I wrote about the ‘Armchair Activist’, a person who talks a good talk on social media, recommending ways to help the environment, for example, but who fails to walk that talk.

Whilst I struggle to comprehend, not the dishonesty of such a person but the lack of self-love the person has for themselves, I struggle even more with the people I know are not speaking up when they know (and feel) they should, when something goes against their beliefs and values and, yet, they remain silent.

I get it. It's really tough to speak up and out...

The discussion and question around core values is something that's very prevalent in the entrepreneurial world. Business owners and entrepreneurs are encouraged and reminded that their business should reflect their personal core values because their business is an extension of them and, so, both should be in alignment. However, this isn't just a question for entrepreneurs. It's a question that we all should be asking ourselves.

I read a post from a friend on Facebook recently. She was asking what she could do to help the people of Afghanistan.

It was something I had been pondering that very same day as, no doubt, have many others.

When places beyond our physical reach fall into crisis we often feel helpless and hopeless. Apart from donating to charities designed to send aid to such places, what more can we do to help?

Who do you live for? Who do you dress for? Who do you work for?

I remember when I was at college, I came home one summer wearing my most favourite pair of jeans which looked like they'd been put through a shredder on more than one occasion. My Dad didn't know what to do with me (or my jeans). So he did what he did best, he 'suggested' that one day I might waken up and my jeans would have moved to the rubbish bin.

The presence of Sir Richard Branson triggered me this week.

Sir Richard Branson, who added the accomplishment of 'Astronaut' to his very long list of achievements.

It wasn't Sir Richard himself, nor his spacey activities that triggered me, however...

Have you ever considered that what may manifest physically in your body may be a result of an energetic imbalance within your body, a way of your super-intelligent body telling you that something's off, that perhaps you have to pay a bit more attention to part of your life? That you're not just sick because you caught a bug from someone else? Or because you ate something that was a little bit off? Or...? Or...?

Covid-19 isn't the only pandemic to be impacting our lives right now. There's another pandemic that has been eating its way through society for years, even though it's only just recently been allocated a name, and that's the doomsurfing pandemic.

Whilst it may not, on the surface, appear to be as dangerous as covid-19, in the long-term (and by long-term I'm talking a mere few months) it can seriously damage your mental, emotional, spiritual and, as a result, your physical health. So I feel it's important enough to shine a light on it and elevate it into your conscious awareness.

How many times this year, so far, have you heard the phrase "we're living in unprecedented times", or something similar?

It seems everytime I open an email or turn on social media, someone somewhere is telling me "we're living in unprecedented times". Is it happening to you as well?

And how do you feel about living in these "unprecedented times"?

When people talk about manifesting, their focus tends to be on the things they want to manifest in their life. Very few focus on the things they don't necessarily want to manifest.

And, yet, the Law of Manifestation works both ways.

Because, an important concept contained within this law is "where attention goes, energy flows".

I was born in Northern Ireland, part of a small and beautiful island, steeped in such ugliness and hatred. I was born during the height of what was known as "The Troubles" where man would kill man because of his religious background, because he was believed to be different, because he was perceived to be the enemy.

I was also born into a religious family, one that taught you, as the bible would state, to love thy neighbour.

And yet "loving thy neighbour" wasn't quite as straightforward as "loving thy neighbour".

2020 - the year of 20/20 vision, the year of clarity... and, so far, I don't like what I'm seeing.

At the beginning of this year, and still continuing today, we have been experiencing a world pandemic, when nature, herself, said "enough" to the human race and rightly demanded we change our ways, change our lifestyle, adopt a sense of respect towards those we share this planet with.

If you've read my blogpost about grounding you'll know what the concept of grounding is and how it can benefit you physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. If you haven't yet read that blogpost, then I invite you to read it here.

Now we know what grounding is and how it can benefit you on all different levels, let's look at ways in which you can ground yourself.

Before we can even begin to consider if we're grounded or not, we need to understand what grounding actually is and how it benefits us.

Let's start with the 'what' first.

Grounding can also be referred to as earthing. What it means is creating a re-connection with the earth. Mother Earth is full of electrons and these electrons are absorbed into your body when you ground, benefitting your body, in particular your organs, in a similar way to, say, antioxidants you receive when you eat healthy foods.

Being in lockdown and self-isolating is no joke for many. The effort it takes to adjust to our current new way of living and working can take its toll on you, if it's not a lifestyle you're accustomed to and you don't adjust to it easily.

So I thought I'd pull together a few tips to help you through your day; ideas to cultivate into a daily practise that will carry you beyond our current climate.

I was on a group call recently and our mentor was creating some EFT (emotional freedom technique) scripts for us to tap along with. One of the scripts wasn't resonating with me so, whilst I tapped I didn't repeat all of the wording - I simply tapped, mostly in silence, as my way of supporting the lady for whom the script was being created.

And then we came to the final phrases in the script and one of them was "I am so loved". As I heard that phrase and as I spoke that phrase, I could feel a wave of emotion rise up within me and I couldn't hold back the tears. They weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of overwhelming realisation and gratitude.

We're in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, a time when neighbours are helping out neighbours, when people are being more thoughtful and considerate towards strangers, and I'm sitting here telling you to be selfish. Seriously?

Yes, seriously.

Because I'm talking from an energy perspective. Now's the time to be truly selfish when it comes to your energy because now's the time to focus on keeping your vibration high.

Today, more so than ever before, I want you to take a few minutes to really evaluate how you're showing up in the world; what energy are you sending out, what messages are people taking from your actions?

Because, today more than ever before, we need enlightened souls who can see beyond the immediate, who can behave beyond the fear, who can act beyond the panic. Today, more than ever before, we need enlightened souls who will lead everyone else forward towards positivity, towards changing our ways, towards acting together as one energy.

Today is Mother's Day in the UK when we celebrate the amazing mothers and grandmothers who have helped us and supported us as we grew into the amazing people we are today.

We celebrate all mothers, both young and aged, both new and practised, around the world, for the love they give their children.

And today I invite you to also celebrate and show gratitude to Mother Earth herself.

I've been meaning to write a blogpost about my personal experience of the impact of another's fears for me, but never quite got round to it. Now that the coronavirus has entered our world, this is a blogpost I feel I can no longer put off.

It's super important that you are conscious of your thinking and the energy vibration you are giving out to others.

We are all energy and energy is in constant movement. Your thoughts, actions, attitudes, opinions... they all create energy and that energy doesn't just happen and stop, it travels forward.

As a child, when you pushed and pushed and pushed, eventually your mother would lose her patience and have to take measures in order to retain order and respect, right?

Why do we humans think Mother Nature would be so different?

If your children are running wild, if they're destroying everything that you have so generously provided for them, if they're abusing you, hurting you and disrespecting you, would you stand back and let them continue down that path of destruction? Of course you wouldn't.

When your country began its lock-down in relation to coronavirus, what did you do, how did you feel?

Did you feel fear? Did you panic and, like so many others, did you run to the supermarket to stock up on essentials? Did you worry about loved ones who might be at risk? Did you worry about your own health and safety? Did you tune into social media and the news, continuously, for updates and 'stay informed'? Did you share posts on social media about panic buying, about what you'd read or heard, about anything that didn't refer to the coronavirus in a positive light? Did your stress levels rise or even go through the roof?

It's a funny old world, lovely soul.

There are times when I consciously tune into my intuition for guidance and then there are times when I'm being unconsciously guided. It's those times when I'm being unconsciously guided, when I'm not questioning the steps I'm taking simply because they feel right, that everything flows easily.

Other times when I'm questioning my intuition and wondering if I'm taking the right steps, everything feels a bit more like wading through treacle. Do you feel the same?

You might think I'm off my rocker when I say, in the midst of the growing coronavirus pandemic, that there are exciting days ahead. But I can assure you I'm not. Nor am I belittling, in anyway, the seriousness of this virus and how it will unfold in the days, weeks and months ahead.

However, I truly feel that the coronavirus is, in part, here to teach us lessons on being authentic human beings, returning to the energy of love that I know is inside each and every one of us.

It's not just a love affair with negativity but a love affair with fear, with victimhood, with bad news. If anything has a negative connotation, society and individuals latch onto it to get its drug fix. Bad news travels fast, good news stays silent. Have you ever noticed that?

Let me share an example I came across recently which clearly highlights our addiction to negativity.

There's a phrase that I started to hear a few years ago when I first started looking into my mindset, raising my vibration, and becoming aware of my own energy and how it was being impacted by those around me, often without me consciously realising. And that phrase was: "where attention goes, energy flows".

In other words, wherever your thoughts or focus go, there too goes your energy and vibration and that's the same kind of energy and vibration you attract or mirror back to you.

Recently I sent out an email to those who have elected to receive my weekly Monday email and, in return, I was met by a number of souls choosing to no longer receive my emails.

Now don't get me wrong. I do get souls choosing to no longer read or receive my emails but it is rare that a number of souls ask to stop receiving my emails, all at the same time.

So I wondered what triggered their reaction.

I made a revelation about why my relationship with money isn't quite as healthy as it could and should be. And, in my excitement, I shared it with a friend who responded: " Having fun with money... Isn’t it the whole idea of everything? Being able to feel more joyful in every aspect of our lives and then spread it further. I’m so happy that you got to remember that."

Her wise words are not anything new to me. Fun is one way to raise our vibration so we can attract similar things to us and share forward its ripple effect.

What dawned on me was just how much I have lost the essence of who I truly am...

People like my family who know me deeply, intimately, would say that I don't have the healthiest relationship with money. Indeed, probably right up until I sat down to write this blogpost, I would have said exactly the same.

Here's the thing.

When I was a child, I received pocket money and would race off the sweet shop and relish the sugary joy that money could bring me. That was fine for a while until family dynamics came into play...

 Have you ever thought of doing something, something routine like hanging up the washing when you heard the machine end its cycle, and a few hours later you find yourself thinking "did I hang up the washing already or not?" You go to check and there it is, all neatly hung up, but you can't quite fully remember actually doing it, or you have a sudden recollection of doing it once you see it hanging there.

Have you ever driven somewhere and arrived at your destination and thought "how did I get here so fast?" or "I don't remember driving by X".

If this is you, then you're running your life on auto-pilot.

I recently spent some time learning about and attuning to Archangel Ariel, and while doing so I was reminded about a time when I was hiding the true me from my family.

What triggered the memory was when I wrote this about Archangel Ariel in another blogpost.

 I dedicate quite a bit of my time to meditation and gratitude because I find if I don't, dark and negative thoughts can creep in and start to play a larger role in my life.

However, just because I set aside time and devote energy to keeping my vibe high, it doesn't mean I don't have a wobble every now and then.

And so was the case recently.

I was working with a client recently and passing on the messages and guidance from the angels and her spirit team. The messages were all about being in the flow and living in the present moment.

And it got me thinking.

When are you living?

A few months ago, as I was out walking, I came upon 4 plastic boxes in a farmyard. Outside one of those boxes stood a lonely calf... just enough room in the box for shelter, just enough room outside the box to lie down.

The calf was being confined to a small area so he could neither exercise nor move, thus ensuring he didn't develop any muscle and, when slaughtered and fed in a restaurant or his meat sold in a supermarket, his meat would be tender and succulent.

As humans, one of our most basic needs, most basic desires is to receive and experience love. And it's absolutely no different in the animal kingdom.

Animals give out unconditional love all the time.

Just think of a dog that's been abused, is rescued and given a new forever home. Do you think that dog holds a grudge against his previous human guardian and is, therefore, unable is love someone new who will return love to him/her?

The Law of Attraction states that like energy attracts like energy.

Here's the thing. Everything is energy. You, me, the chair you're sitting on, the coffee mug you may be drinking from. Everything, when we really zoom in, is just little particles of energy boucing around. How densely that energy is packed will determine how solid something will appear.

So we have two pieces of the jigsaw...

It can be all too easy to be pulled down into a negative state of being if we do not remain alert and aware of our thoughts, behaviours and the environment around us.

Being in a negative state of being means that your energetic vibration is low and heavy and, as determined by the Law of Attraction, this means that what you'll attract and what you'll naturally readiate towards whilst in this lowered state are things that are of a similar lower state.

As I shared, recently, my word for the new year, I thought it might be a good idea to give some pointers to help you choose your word for the year, your focus word, your theme, without you getting your knickers in as big a twist as i've done in the past, and feeling too frozen to pick a word.

So I've gather some tips I think come in handy when picking your word.

Have you noticed, over the last few years, that people standing on the cusp of a new year choose a word, or couple of words, to capture how they want the year ahead to be?

It seems that finding your word has replaced the concept of setting New Year Resolutions, which most of us know simply do not work, not necessarily because we're lazy or can't commit (though sometimes, let's be honest, we are), but because all too often life changes and the specifics of your New Year Resolution just don't fit anymore.

The tree's up. The presents are wrapped. The parties are in full swing.

And no doubt everywhere you look you're seeing articles like "The Christmas Survival Guide". Here's the thing. Christmas can either be a time when you fight to survive or you rise and thrive. I don't want you to merely survive. You're not in battle, after all, lovely soul. I want you to thrive and relish every moment of this festive period.

Before you read what I have to say today, I want you to take a minute or two to think about why you decided to open this blogpost...

Black Friday. It used to be one day of crazy bargains each year, then it became a week and now, it seems, it's lasting a whole month.

I remember when the concept of Black Friday first travelled across the pond to Europe, namely the UK (where I was living), from the USA. I would watched in pure disbelief at the absolute carnage that ensued the second shops opened their doors...

Social media can be a brilliant tool for spreading advice and giving suggestions about how to live a healthier lifestyle and one that is more loving and caring to our planet.

However, it's also been the medium through which I have come across the armchair activist; someone who talks a good talk from the comfort of their armchair but fails to walk their talk...

Something someone said to me recently caught my attention.

She said "aren't you afraid walking in forests by yourself?"

You see... I go out walking in nature. And, in nature, there tend to be a lot of forests. So a lot of my walking involves walking through forests. And that's never even raised an eyebrow for me... until now. Until this person said to me "aren't you afraid walking in forests by yourself?"

"... one I can only aspire to one day."

That's what a friend said to me recently. And, to be honest, it left me a bit dumbfounded.

When you think about your bank balance, what do you think about? Pretty obvious, really, I guess. You think about how much money's in your account, right? You think about if your balance is healthy or if money's bleeding out of your account, right?

How's about we shine a different light on our bank account. How's about we look at it as an energy store, with money being just one type of energy that flows in and out of it.

When we do that we get a totally different perspective on things.

Sometimes we cross the border to Germany to collect parcels that we've posted to a drop box there (the cost of posting to Switzerland is crazy biscuits compared to posting to other countries in the the EU). And while we're there we tend to do our weekly shop.

And so was the case recently.

We picked up our parcels, popped into the shops for a few more bits and pieces, and then headed into one of the supermarkets. We've been in this supermarket before so know it's not our favourite but it has some products that we like.

Before we can move on to cleansing our aura, we need to know what an aura is, right?

An aura is the unseen electromagnetic energy field that surrounds all living creatures be they humans, your pet, wild animals, the plants in your garden or even the trees in the forest. It is an egg-shaped ball of energy that starts from the body and expands outwards in all directions to approximately 30cms.

When you're in good health and well-being your aura will be fresh and bright. In contrast...

I've felt very challenged recently.

Not so long ago I changed the direction of my life and started walking down a whole new path. My new path is in no way related to my past life in corporate (when I was an accountant) nor is it related to my previous business (handmade skincare), although I have carried forward the self-love part of that business.

My new path has opened me up to share healing messages of love and guidance from the angels and is also leading me down other avenues such as mediumship.

Sometimes life can creep up behind you and bite you... and that's  exactly how I feel today.

Yesterday I had an amazing day...

But then, out of nowhere, at 5am this morning I woke with a start.

I do. And I highly encourage you to too.

Often when someone says "you're living in your own bubble", it carries a negative connotation. Because that phrase tends to imply you go through life oblivious to what's happening around you, it's almost like you live in a constant daydream state. And, well, that's not very responsible, is it?

But what I mean when I ask you if you live in a bubble and, indeed, when I encourage you to do so, is quite the opposite.

I was recently on the receiving end of some anger-driven verbal abuse... from a friend.

He's someone I've known for well over 10 years and I know he is an opinionated person who is not afraid to share his thoughts and views, but I think this is the first time I've actually picked up on such anger from him. It's always been there I just haven't been so conscious of it.

... and that's alright.

When I first started giving angel card readings, I did so quietly and secretly because I knew that not everyone would be onboard with what I was doing.

People would have their personal opinion about angel card readings and those opinions may not be in line with my own. So I chose not to share the new direction I had decided to follow with everyone as I wasn't ready to face critics, to listen to disapproval, or feel obliged to answer questions about my new life-path.

When you hear someone mention the word "affirmations", what's your reaction?

• "Love them!! I've got mine off pat!"
• "I'm not sure I'm doing them right"
• "Affir-what??"

I'll be honest. Until I really got into this whole self-love, woo-woo kinda world a few years ago, I would have had the "Affir-what?" reaction.

My little niece was being bullied at school. It was horrible to hear what the other kids were saying to her face and how they were ridiculing her. At one stage I caught myself thinking "you'd never say something like that to yourself never mind someone else".

But that thought immediately stopped me in my tracks.

It wasn’t so long ago that I felt I was walking through life as if it was treacle. Placing one foot in front of the other was not only exhausting but took so much effort.

And I noticed I wasn’t the only one. It seemed everyone around me was walking through treacle too.

And I wondered to myself: Whatever happened to living life to the full, enjoying every second of every minute, relishing the many miracles that are showered on us day in, day out?

It wasn't through choice.

We received a call from our landlord telling us to cut the one metre wide grass area that ran behind our apartment because our neighbour had complained that it was too long.

So we cut our grass.

And in doing so, said goodbye to the life that had been thriving in it.

About six months ago I wrote a blogpost "Spread a Little Happiness". It was birthed from my experience of living in Switzerland where people are really friendly and always greeting each other as they walk by, even strangers. And where you're always welcomed into a shop by whichever employee may be near you.

When I returned to my birth country of Northern Ireland I felt the whole congeniality, the friendliness, the warmth that is synonymous with Irish people, had dampened a bit.

I was a silent listener in a conversation about drugs recently.

It kinda went along the lines of "such a shame that so many young people are throwing their lives away on drugs" and "it seems so many people are addicted to drugs nowadays".

The theme was the condemnation of addiction, the evils of drugs and drug abuse, and the stupidity of people who become addicted to drugs.

You know that phrase, don't judge a book by its cover?

Quite literally one of the best books I ever read "The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity" by Catherine Ponder had the most awful, unattractive, uninspiring cover (sorry Ms Ponder!) I have ever seen. But I read it because it came recommended to me by a trusted friend.

My sister's children came to visit me while I was staying with my parents recently. When they visit it can often be mayhem. I don't get to see them often so when I do it's like a special treat for them and the loudness of their voices tends to mirror the level of their excitement.

After they had been outside a while, playing with bubbles, and had burnt off a lot of energy, we headed back indoors for a bit more quiet time.

I was driving the other day in a double-laned one-way road system (ie all cars in both lanes traveled the same direction).

In my side mirror something caught my eye. I could see a woman in the right lane indicating to move into the left lane.

What I witnessed immediately following shocked me.

I was visiting family in N Ireland recently. In my bedroom there’s a mirror-wardrobe. As I was in bed enjoying a lazy morning lie-in I decided to do something I’ve never done before.

I rolled onto my side and looked right into my eyes. I held eye contact with myself for ages while I repeated “I am…”

As hard as the answer may be to hear, I reckon the answer is 'yes'.

Pretty much all of us judge. We judge others and we judge ourselves too.

Here's the thing. Each of us lives according to our own personal list; a list of ideals, a list of what's right and wrong, a list of shoulds and shouldn'ts, a list of personal and internal morals and beliefs.

.. but I don't know what it is.

This last day or so has been strange.

Yesterday I was suddenly hit by an unexpected desire to cry, an experience that took me back to my teenage years. So I wrote about it here in my blog as I found it less overwhelming to write it out of me than to cry it out of me.

Today started just like any other day, I woke up, I got up, I fed the bunnies and I sat down to meditate. Nothing unusual in that until suddenly I felt this wave come over me. I don't know how best to describe it. All I can say is that out of the blue I just wanted to cry.

So I did.

It's amazing what a holiday can do for the soul.

Time to kick back and relax. Not think about work. Just chillin', enjoying the beauty of nature and being with those you love.

Little did I think our most recent family holiday would also bring with it a crisis of confidence for me!

We headed on a furry family holiday (ie our beloved bunnies joined too) and within a couple of days I was ready to snap at anything and everything.

Totally not what going on holiday is about!

But as each day passed by I had this sense of anger building up inside of me. I was ready to snap at the smallest thing and, although I didn't verbalise it, my mind was picking holes in absolutely everything my husband said or did.

I wrote in my blogpost "Just Be You" about the challenge I was facing. I was grappling between being the person everyone expected me to be and doing what everyone expected me to do, with just being true to myself.

You might think, "Duh, Viv! It's obvious. Be true to yourself, of course".

But I invite you to sit with that for while. Really think what it means to be true to yourself. And look into your own life and see where you really are being authentically true to yourself.

When I was around 18 years old and having to choose a career to study at university, my Dad pulled me aside for a chat.

I can remember that evening as if it was yesterday.

In the conversation he said something along the lines of "Do you really want to be a teacher? You're pretty good at maths. Don't you think you should study something like finance or accounting instead? It would open many doors for you."

A short series about beginning to taking back control of my health following a documentary that sparked my interest and introduced me into juicing:

• taking back control (introduction to this short series)
• juicing - day 1
• juicing - day 2
• juicing - day 3
• juicing - day 4
• juicing - day 5
• juicing - day 6

I have discovered, from personal experience, that when you travel along the lifelong journey of self-love, before too long you find yourself making conscious decisions that don't just positively impact you but also those around you and beyond.

And that's why I firmly believe that, through self-love and falling back in love with ourselves, we can heal our ailing planet.

When I was looking up popular hashtags for a Monday, two that popped up were #MondayBlues and #IFHM (I'll let you work the latter out yourself... it's not difficult)

The day after the weekend, the first day back at work... energetically it seems this is the heaviest and most negative day of the week.

When you're already moaning about the thought of being in the office at the start of the working week, how do you think your day (and the rest of the week) will look?

I found this quote and it really lifted me up. Because I've been in a funk. I felt dragged down the road of 'who I should be' when all I wanted to be was 'me'.

The quote, from Brooke Hampton, reads like this:

"Don’t you dare compare your magic to mine or anyone else’s. That’s a fool’s mission, you know...

I have a night-time routine.

Around 10pm it's bunny bedtime. If we're running late on giving the bunnies their bedtime treat, refreshing their hay and cleaning out their litter trays... well... rest assured little Forrest will come over to gently remind us.

After the bunnies are fed, watered and settled for the night, we head to bed ourselves...

I spotted a video today that tied in perfectly with an experience I had yesterday that I want to share.

Yesterday I was out and about doing the weekly grocery shopping and on my way home I stopped off at the pharmacy to top up on my drugs (drugs... that's a whole other story!)

I remember when I first started out in business, fellow business-owners and entrepreneurs would often say "your business is like your baby".

They were sharing with me that your business is a part of you, something you give birth to, something that needs your protection, constant support and vigilance.

But only today have I realised that they were all wrong.

A number of years ago a door opened for me, a door that led me away from the unhealthy, long-houred, unappreciated corporate life that I had been leading.

The door that opened for me was not one that led me down the path of enlightenment. It didn’t guide me towards an easier life, a more in-flow existence. Quite the opposite, to be honest.

How much more would you appreciate buying from a brand that actively encourages you to fall back in love with the amazing and beautiful woman you already are than a brand that zeros in on a perceived imperfection, makes you feel at best insecure, at worst ugly, and then turns around and asks you to buy their product because it contains some magic formula that will correct the imperfections they tell you you have?

... and then 10 minutes before the end….

... BOOM!!!

The guy being interviewed dropped the bombshell about running your own business. And suddenly I crawled out of my little self-made hidey hole because suddenly I realised that I was not alone.

I read a quote recently by the wonderful Dalai Lama and it lit up my heart. The quote was: "The world will be saved by the Western Woman".

I don't know about you but I've been feeling a real shift in energy these last couple of years and witnessing feminine energy begin to light up and shine. And it's a beautiful thing to witness.

So yesterday I was criticised by a complete stranger.

She knew nothing about me, nothing about Simply Skin, nothing about my desire to spread self-love to every woman I meet, AND nothing about the work you and I do together to help abandoned and rescued bunnies.

She was in a Facebook group I've recently joined. We've never interacted before. Indeed this was one of my very first posts in the group.

Today I wanted to share a positive and uplifting quote with you so I asked the angels to place a quote before me that I should write about.

I came across quite a few but it was only when I read this quote that I could feel that this was the one I wanted to focus on today:

"Be happy with what little you've got. There are people with nothing who still manage to smile." (Unknown)

With crampons attached to our hiking shoes, we headed up to a snowy and peaceful plateau for a winter walk on Sunday.

The sky was the brightest of blues, the snow crunched under our feet, the mountains around us felt close enough to touch. In every single way it was perfect.

I had my camera at hand... we were ready to enjoy our day.

Every Wednesday for the past few years I have shared what I like to refer to as a #beautyfullquote. And I haven't missed many (if any) Wednesdays... until yesterday.

Because yesterday I was feeling far from beautiful. Yesterday I was in a low place.

It wasn't anything as shallow as having a bad hair day... I'm at the stage where I can now look myself in the eyes and tell myself "I love you" even when my hair's standing on end.

Do you know what 'comparisonitis' is? It's a commonly-found dis-ease that has taken hold of so many people over the last years and has destroyed their self-esteem, self-confidence, self-worth.

You tend to contract comparisonitis from over-use of social media but it was around long before the birth of social media. Social media has just made it more widespread.

Our apartment lies above a beautiful lake which is simply idyllic to walk around. And, to our right, in the distance, are the majestic Swiss Alps, currently white with snow.

It sounds bliss, right?

Well today, although I know of the beauty that surrounds us, as I see it and appreciate it so regularly, today it's shrouded in fog.

A few weeks ago when the first snow of Winter reached the lower peaks of the Swiss Alps, we went out for a winter wander.

It was cold, the fresh air gently nipped at our faces, the sun was shining. It was lovely. And we enjoyed a truly beautiful and spectacular snow hike surrounded by stunning mountains as well as ski-ers, sleighers and fellow-hikers. Until, that was, my husband decided to go a bit off track and follow a snow-shoe route... we were in hiking boots.

"They say love is the best investment; the more you give, the more you get in return" ~ Audrey Hepburn

I came across this quote only this morning and I just thought "yes.... this is so true".

I wasn't looking at it from a romantic point of view, although that certainly is one way to look at it. I was looking at it from a self-love point of view.

"She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines. She was beautiful for the way she thought. She was beautiful for that sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful for her ability to make other people smile even if she was sad. No, she wasn't beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful deep down in her soul"

...This year I started a gratitude jar. I had tried to create one a few years ago but I wasn't committed and it just didn't work... after just a couple of days!

But now I appreciate and value the difference in my mindset that a daily gratitude ritual creates. And so, I thought I'd create a visual reminder on my working desk that I could contribute to daily.

As I was coming to the end of my #beautyfullquote post last week about taking the time this new year to fall back in love with yourself, I wrote the the following message:
"You're not meant to fit in, Beautiful, you're meant to stand out"

And it felt like such a special message that I thought I'd return to it this week.

So tell me, Beautiful, have you got caught up in the whole "New Year, New Gym Membership" or "New Year, New Fitter Me" that I see bandying around at this time of year, every year?

Can I suggest something quite radical?

Don't buy into it.

We're on the cusp of entering a brand new year.

And I'm seeing everywhere, people looking back over their year and breaking it down into what went right and what went wrong. And then looking forward to what the new year will have in store for us.

Have you done this yet? Are you planning to do it?

“Get off the scale!
I have yet to see a scale that can tell you how enchanting your eyes are.
I have yet to see a scale that can show you how wonderful your hair looks when the sun shines its glorious rays on it.
I have yet to see a scale that can thank you for your compassion, sense of humor, and contagious smile.
Get off the scale because I have yet to see one that can admire you for your perseverance when challenged in life.”

The Christmas Season is well and truly upon us, wouldn't you say?

The shops are filling up with Christmas shoppers and our agendas are getting blocked left, right and centre with Christmas parties and get-togethers.

It can all be a bit hectic but, you know what, the buzz is great. It keeps us high and our energies lifted. Isn't that right? Or do you get a sense of overwhelm at this time of year?

Have you ever noticed that when you're feeling happy and are smillng, that people smile back at you and, even, treat you differently compared to times when you're feeling down or grumpy?

It's as if they want a bit of what you've got or want to be part of what you're part of. It's as if they're mirroring your feelings and unconsciously becoming part of your happiness. And that is beautiful.

Today I struggled with myself, with my business, with life.

And rather than hide away and pretend to everyone around me that life's going just fine, I decided to show up and be honest with myself and with you. Because we can't expect that every day will be great. Some days are challenging - that's just life.

"Look at yourself as a colour.
You may not be everyone's favourite.
But one day you'll meet someone who
needs you to complete their picture"

What a #beautyfullquote for today.

I always wonder on a Wednesday morning what quote will pass by me, catch my eye and capture my heart that day and I have yet to be disappointed.