1. Turn on the Light of acceptance
This light means no resistance or fighting or wishing that things were different than they are. Acceptance is neutral, open and willing to cooperate with the situation, just as it is.
To heal from the inside out is the key.
Wynonna Judd

2. Turn on the Light of the present moment, right now
This light is easy. Take in a deep breath. Breathe in the present. Sometimes, I find that lying down stretched out for maybe only a few minutes helps me to come into the present moment, and what it is I need and want to do next.

3. Turn on the Light of surrender
Be willing not to know or have all the answers you want, right away. Imagine you are standing in a column of light, with just enough light to see to take one step forward, no more. In a period of change, the picture is a constantly evolving one. Each moment may offer you a fresh suggestion or perception. Receive it.
You may learn to let go, cooperate and flow with what presents itself to you.

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you — all of the expectations, all of the beliefs — and becoming who you are.
 Rachel Naomi Remen

4. Turn on the Light of understanding
Think of this light as one of standing in support of yourself, literally “standing under” with a solid foundation of honouring your basic needs: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Be willing to explore and discover how you can best support yourself in the present circumstances. Ask, and be open to receive what you need.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it. Helen Keller

5. Turn on the Light of awareness
What a precious gift awareness is! That “ah ha” moment when you just know. The truth dawns, not for all time but perhaps just for that insight you were seeking.

6. Turn on the Light of connection
And after awareness, connection. You are never alone. As you connect with the love of your inner spirit, so you are connected with all life forms in the world around you. With this connection comes a peace and reassurance. Love is the connector. All is well.
Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, 
and love is all there is. Gary Zukav

7. Turn on the Light of humour, joy and laughter Choose to be with people who are light of touch, seeing the funny side of life, enjoying simple things.
Humor is healing.
  Brad Garrett

8. Turn on the Light of forgiving
Become one who is for-giving — toward yourself, your disappointments, doubts,  misunderstandings, sadness and fears. Toward any others who may have hurt or been critical towards you.

Forgiveness means giving up all hope of a better past. Lily Tomlin

9. Turn on the Light of loving
Think of loving as kindness and compassion. We all need it from time to time. Give a thought of kindness and compassion for others. Bathe and bless yourself in kindness and compassion as you evolve towards a healthier, happier you.

Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, 
simply by pouring out love. 
Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy. Sai Baba

10. Turn on the Light of gratitude
Gratitude could be the first and only light to switch on. The attitude of gratitude is pure magic in the process of healing. It allows for an openness, relaxation and receptivity in which your powers of healing and restoration can get to work.

Your life is a gift.
In each day, find your gratitude. Right where you are, find your gratitude. Finding gratitude is going to open you up so whatever would serve you will come to you, whether it’s a cure, a spontaneous healing or anything else you need.
Goodness is what you deserve. It is your heritage.
John Morton

This moment, what you are most grateful for? Who touches your heart most deeply? Who or what could you forgive to bring yourself greater freedom?

I had in mind to write a sensible post, about clearing out the old to make way for the new of this spring season.  You know, noticing things around you which no longer have energy, use or value for you – though they might for others. Things like magazines, paintings on your walls, kitchen or other gadgets which seemed to be a good idea at the time you bought them, but have been lying around unused for months.

Then there are the closets, drawers and cupboards concealing  stuff you had completely forgotten about. Try emptying one – and putting back only the things you really do want to keep. The excess you no longer want may be salable, or you could give it away or simply dump it. Notice how good it feels to let go.

Around 14th February, I feel a change of energy as if like the plants, I am being prepared for fresh growth, the hope of a new spirit emerging and a birth of colour, enthusiasm and joy.

Not only our physical world comes up for renewal but it is also a great time to spring clean the spirit.  To clear out the darknesses of doubt, disappointment, frustration or sadness with forgiving.  Here are two statements I use to freshen up – at any time of the year:

I forgive myself for any judgments I have made against myself or any other being or situation, consciously or unconsciously.

I forgive myself for forgetting that I am divine.

I can repeat those statements to myself, any time, any place.

Then, there is gratitude.  You do not need a PhD in personal development to gain the benefits that gratitude brings.  Counting the blessings.  It is the small things that go unnoticed, that we often “take for granted”, that make up our daily lives. As you start to count them up, you begin to feel very full indeed.  That fullness is a major contributor to your experience of wealth. Which is New Wealth. Not just the having, but the being.  The experience of wealth.

The wealth has always been with us.  Our awareness of it is what we have been missing. Lack of awareness results in our feeling empty, depleted, abandoned.

You might need to have a British sense of humour to appreciate the News Biscuit site.  Please check it out.

News Biscuit

Let me know what you think.  Joy and laughter can really help us to lighten up.

One sunny morning might not make a spring, but it is a good indication that warmer days are ahead of us.  At the very least, the days are getting longer.  And I am grateful for that.

Our stimulating conversation, together with a Steve Little video I have watched recentlyThe Value Principle, I started looking at how my 63 Huffington Post articles to date might be gathered together under headings on my website.  The list is growing too long to keep on one page.

What headings to choose?  What is it that I have to offer that is of value to readers?  How can I support, assist, inspire and encourage through the written word? How can I add value to your life? What do I have to say that can make a difference?

If there is one thing I have had to learn (and still do) that attitude and perception changes outcomes. Is not that what we want, deep down?  Better outcomes.  Greater happiness, better success, deeper peace of mind, rewarding relationships?  In training circles, these were labelled soft and perhaps of less value than the nitty gritty of higher sales figures, more profit, technical skills.

A popular concept at the moment is “personal branding” – what makes you stand out and be recognized in the market place. There are moments when I wished I had a clear brand, a theme that reflected what I do.  Like happiness for example.  But perhaps my brand is more a matter of who I am.  Who am I?  Still in a process of discovery with that one.

Here are some thought starters you might enjoy.  Complete the following statements, as spontaneously as you can.  Let the first thing pop into mind and make a note of it.

I am one who….

I am one who loves….

I am one who gives…

I am one who enjoys…

I am one who is happy when…

I am one who understands….

I am one who is grateful for…

I am one who receives….

I am one who has fun when….

I am one who loves to….

The point here is to know a little better your values, what makes you who you are.  This is the value you have to share with others.  Being more fully yourself, and true to who you are, communicates itself to others, and draws to you more of what is important to you.

In touch with who you are, reflect on how you can add value to others, whether that is at work, at home, in your community. Truly, we are value oriented creatures.  Here you will find your New Wealth.

New Wealth is the value you define for yourself. Your attitudes and perceptions will keep you on track with your best life; doing what you most love to do; being with people that bring you most joy and having fun.

With an absence of improvement, I went to see the locum (half term holidays, and my doctor was away) who gently examined my ear and made an appointment the next day to see an ENT specialist. After an audition exam, I was told that the cause might be viral, or simply deafness had set in.  I went away with another set of medications to take for the next month.

Generally, I enjoy excellent health and lead a healthy lifestyle – though I could do more exercise. I am keen to explore the condition with my ear to learn all I can from it.  The only times I am unwell are when I am in some way out of balance and/or having something to learn about my life as a whole.  The condition proves to be a teacher, and ultimately a blessing.

I may have lost the hearing (fortunately, only in one ear), but what do I have to gain, to learn, to understand and maybe eventually, to share with others?  Again, fortunately, I have several friends who have an intuitive understanding about imbalances that show up as ill-health in the physical body. They are assisting me to learn from my condition.

In a context of “Light for the highest good”, I would like to heal the condition, finding a way to restore the hearing in my left ear. In part thanks to the internet, there are a great wealth of resources that address healing. I plan to go the conventional medical route, and at the same time, explore complementary methods. Alongside both of those, I shall be looking for information contained by the condition.  It is possible that when I have the understanding, the condition will leave.  I do not know for sure.

I know that I am, we all are, very wealthy with resources, both inwardly and outwardly.  My view is that something very good will come out of this experience. It will prove to be a blessing.

There is no loss in Divine Mind, therefore, I cannot lose anything that is rightfully mine.

Infinite Intelligence is never too late.  Infinite Intelligence knows the way of recovery.

Florence Scovel-Shinn

I had had wonderful Clear Results Consultations experiences with two clients in California at the weekend. When a person reveals the light at the end of their tunnel, the way forward from their issues, I find it very warming and encouraging. The magnificence in people never ceases to amaze me.

Two wedding ceremonies to officiate this summer were confirmed on Monday. Wedding Celebrant occasions are always such a joy for me to create.

On Monday evening, a friend and I gave a birthday dinner for another dear friend. It was the best evening together.  I overdid the champagne and chocolate and was hungover the next day.  But it was so worth it.

The next day, the 92 year old star of my life, Trixie, invited me out for lunch at one of her favourite restaurants on the beach at Cannes – the Rado Plage.  It was a glorious sunny day. The views from our table by the beach across the bay were breathtaking. A handsome and hopeful seagull stood on  a chair neareby and watched us eat. He was amazing. The meal was simple and fabulous – dos de cabillaud followed by crepes. We walked the 20 minutes back to Trixie’s home, she getting fully into her stride, not quite leaving me breathless.

In the evening, we assisted at the Marriage Course being run at our local church. This Course so inspires me.  I wish every couple, married or not, could take advantage of the guidance and information offered in it.

Yesterday, I pretty much completed my 61st article for HuffPost,  which always gives me so much. I quietly progressed reading and reviewing two more chapters in The Wealth Book. In the afternoon, I did some shopping for Trixie and took her some homemade mushroom soup. We chatted over tea and generally put the world to rights.

So when my friend asked me about my Possible Dream, I had nothing to say. I was living it. That moment was full.

Upon mature reflection, I do have a Possible Dream.  It is that the hearing  in my left ear is restored. It left me suddenly overnight two weeks ago and has not yet returned. I am learning to listen inwardly for the steps I need to take to clear the issue.  Fortunately, I have no pain, nor dizziness and I hear in the other ear. I am curious to discover how the matter will be resolved.

Each night, I track in a journal at least 5 blessings from the day for which I am grateful.  Each day is great and full.  I have been doing this for a few years now.  I think the effects may be cumulative.

What is New Wealth for you? How do you experience wealth in your life now? What is special in your life that you feel most grateful for?  I would love to hear your stories.  Please leave a comment below – thank you!

Issues around money are sensitive. Our sense of self-esteem, sense of personal value and even our sense of survival hangs around money. Money is emotive. Financial markets are driven by “sentiment”.  We do not need to be so driven.

Financial freedom does not mean license for unlimited spending.  Financial freedom is enjoying your life with an absence of concern relating to money. You are happily accountable for your income and expenditure; being rewarded for giving your time, talents and gifts; enjoying a sense of flow, well-being and connection with life around you.

The 5 Keys I am offering here are a beginning, a good place to start.

1.  Accept the issue

If you are not enjoying financial freedom, it is likely you have an issue. Anything from debt, to a nagging sense of lack, to guilt, resentment or fear relating to money. Acceptance is not hopeless resignation. It is a first step towards effecting a positive change for the better.

2.  Forgive

Negative emotions keep you stuck and trapped in limited beliefs, attitudes and patterns of behaviour. Forgive yourself for any mistakes you have made.  Forgive yourself for being hard on yourself.  Forgive yourself for the judgments you have held against any others, whether they are family members, politicians, corporate leaders – anyone you have assumed has leadership over your life. Forgive the circumstances that have led you to the issue you are experiencing.

In forgiving, let go of the past. Allow a positive change of conditions and outlook to become real for you.

3.  Get your financial house in order

Know where you stand with your money as it is now. If you need assistance in coming to grips with your finances, go and find it.  Know what monies are outstanding – in payment to you, and that you have to pay. Know what your assets are. Do you have any unopened invoices or bank statements? Fear can drive you away from gathering this information. There is power in knowledge. A financial issue does not make you a bad person. Financial freedom will make you a happier person.

4.  Identify your needs

While sorting out your financial position, live according to your needs. What do you need for food, shelter, clothing (the essential), recreation (does not have to be expensive). Cut back excesses like possibly cable tv, magazine subscriptions, the gym that you-never-attend-but-might-one-day. Discover how creative you can get with fulfilling your needs now.

5.  Explore new avenues for income….

……that serve others with your gifts and talents

Financial freedom is grown in part through your willingness to give to others, and your openness to receive from your world. You may have a vocation which you love, which enriches you as you express it, and others as they receive from you.  It may be that you give voluntarily of a talent, which leads to your paid employment.

Celebrate the richness with which you are born!  It will be harder to feel financial insecurity when you are doing what you really love.

The dark clouds of debt, self-doubt and the foreboding feelings around finances can be blown aside by the winds of change. You can begin to activate the winds of change with these 5 Keys. Behind the clouds of confusion are warmth, light and clarity;  joy and enthusiasm.

I offer Consultations to clients seeking resolution around issues of wealth. Click here for more information about Clear Results Consultations

Wishing you health, happiness – and financial freedom!

Last night, I assisted again on the Marriage Course, which could equally well be called the Couples Course – and there is something in it also for singles.  One of the points made yesterday in the session: Building Strong Foundations was the difference between the excitement of dating and the humdrum of marriage.

Marriage is the relationship in which you can most easily discover the strengths and weaknesses that make up your personality, and who you truly are, deep down beyond the personality.  You have a voice, and your voice counts.  How you use your voice can create an abiding love that flourishes, or something much less enjoyable and enduring.  You count.

Many years ago, I had the feeling that I did not belong in this world.  As the saying goes, I felt like a stranger in a strange land.  Waking up this morning, the thought travelled through my mind again.  How would I address it?  Simply.

A couple of days ago, a friend sent me this video:

The Art of Blessing

It reminded me first of all, to be grateful.  Why?  Because I am blessed in many ways – with good friends who care about me; with a loving family; with a beautiful home; with a spiritual path that nourishes and enriches me;  with teachers and students who help me to awaken to more of the goodness in me and in my world.

Secondly, I recognized again how I can be a blessing.  An attitude of gratitude lifts me to a greater awareness of the blessings that are available to be shared with us all.  I can extend a prayer for happiness to those who are sad or in distress.  I can speak a kind word to someone who feels isolated and lonely,  I can touch a hand that is cold and withdrawn and give it my love; I can send a donation to alleviate suffering to those in crisis; I can embrace a friend with a warm hug.

So in a marriage, you may look for the faults in your loved one and complain when your needs are not being met. Or you can celebrate their beauty and uniqueness and look at how you may be able to give to them what they need on their life’s journey.  You can be a blessing.  You can be grateful. It is a choice.  You count.

Whether or not I feel I belong, I can create heaven or hell through my experience of living in this world.  My choice.  I count.

And the Sea?  Constantly changing, and humbling.  I may be a drop in the ocean, but where I am, I still count.

My lunch date today is suffering from chronic migraine and is unable to come. I would love that she could find a cure for her migraines which so disrupt her life. I had been looking forward to seeing her, but there will be another good day

However, I do have a sense that everything in its way is perfect. If I have unexpected time, there is something else I am meant to do with it. I enjoy the unexpected. Cancellations have created new space, and I am wondering what will be taking their place.  It is quite a test for me to allow space and not be tempted to fill it with “ just anything” for the sake of being busy, seeming fulfilled.

The saying: when one door closes, another opens has been true for me in the past.  But the door has to be closed. That is to say a project needs due Completion with gratitude for the experience (however short); forgiveness for any upsets, misunderstandings or disappointment; a moment to celebrate just what is present right now.  Door closing needs its time of respect and appreciation.

The gap, the waiting, for the next door to open is to be savoured and enjoyed, just as it is. This is where patience comes in. The magic is not to drop into a feeling of uselessness, frustration or irritation. The magic is to love the process; to heal the misperceptions of lack, failure and limitation;  to stay open to the best,  yet to come.

Patience is an attitude of love. It is not a gaping chasm. Acts and thoughts of love can enter the space and give new direction, purpose and meaning.

When the next door opens, I want to be happy and ready to greet what is behind it.  The when, I know not!

The unknown future is filled with promise and possibility.  This inspiring video came to me today.

Watch Patrick Henry Hughes here for the music of opportunity and the sound of potential.

From the dictionary: Epiphany: • a moment of sudden revelation or insight.

ORIGIN Middle English : from Greek epiphainein ‘reveal.’ The sense relating to the Christian festival is via Old French epiphanie and ecclesiastical Latin epiphania.

My HuffPost blog this week is about overcoming doubt and celebrating what is right – with you and our world. I have chosen an inspiring video by Dewitt Jones, a National Geographic photographer, to illustrate the points I am making.

Each of the 57 so far articles I have written for The Huffington Post has been a seminar for me that has given me insights, and a process of learning what I need to from the experience of writing it.  I think this is why I keep writing them.  From the feedback I receive, I am encouraged to keep going.

Then it was not surprising that I would drop into my own feelings of self-doubt, a bit like being hidden in a dark cloud. Not very comfortable at all. But there can be a value in those dark moments, and often has been in the past for me. The challenge is to remember that as I am stuck in the middle of them. And if I am really aware, to love and bless those less than pleasant feelings.

The insight that I received yesterday was that if I am writing about wealth, I really need to be referring to money because that is what readers will expect. And the monetary side of wealth is not presently at all my strong suit. I have been going up a blind alley for me.  My feelings of doubt were well placed.

What is it then that I do feel passionate about, enough to want to write about it?  I think that it is the well-being associated with wealth, that may have nothing to do with money, other than that our basic needs are being taken care of.  Hard to feel well if we are starving and cold and destitute.

As I reflected on wealth, I came across this article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/schuyler-brown/the-new-marketing-paradig_b_411940.html

This made sense to me.

I am all for revelations because I feel that so much that is good within us is hidden from us.  If it takes a dark moment to see the light, then it is no bad thing in the long run.

HuffPo are encouraging those of us who blog on the Living Page to write about sleep over the next month or so to coincide with Arianna and Cindi Leive’s  Sleep Challenge 2010:  Women, It’s Time to Sleep Our Way to the Top. Literally.

Last night, was not my best night’s sleep ever.  Before I went to bed, I tried an exercise for using dreams to gain understanding about an issue, as described by Russell Bishop in his article:  Could Sleep Aid Your Contact With The Divine? Well, throughout the night, I was inundated with ideas and insights, encouragement and inspiration. It felt like the Divine was working overtime with me. I hope It sleeps well today.

For me, I am taking it easy today and not rushing into any resolutions about how all of this will be evolving.  My chat yesterday, when with a pale face I dropped in to see Alice Barker at her #1 Ladies Website Agency, (http://www.no1ladieswebsiteagency.com/) in Vence, gave me lots of food for thought. I left feeling much more rosy and my usual self.

Watch this space – I will keep you posted on developments.

In the meantime, enjoy a favourite YouTube of mine this week, The Pink Glove Dance, complete with its flash mob!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEdVfyt-mLw

We are each of us very wealthy in personal resources.  One of your greatest resources is your conscious awareness:  to know what you really want more of; what you want less, and how you can bring into your life that which will enrich and fulfil you.

Years ago, I remember a friend doing the following exercise:

1.    What do you want?

2.    How could you get it?

3.    What is the experience you are looking for?

The key word is experience. Have you ever noticed how advertisements sell us experiences? With, this that or the other product, you will be happy, attractive, beautiful, popular etc?

The exercise above is done several times with a partner who listens, each time getting closer to what is true for you, what is the most significant experience you want.

My friend arrived at the experience of “freedom”. He realized that he could be free either by being very poor, or by being very rich. He chose the very rich route and built up a successful property business, initially from his bedroom. With the wealth he created, he took time to expand his understanding of psychology.  He travelled all over the world to attend conferences and events to pursue his passion; and to meet people who could expand his knowledge.

So in this new decade, what does new wealth mean for you? How can you be renewed in your thinking and outlook to create more of what you want, to be making the most of your life? What would it take for you to be more daring and adventurous?

I love to hear success stories.  Please feel free to leave a comment below this blog.

Wishing you the happiest, most rewarding and joyous New Year and decade!