Detour!

Sometimes, it seems, that life forces us to take a detour from what we feel is the correct path to reach our destination.  It is important to remember that a detour is just another way of getting from where we are to where we want to be.  Rather than becoming stressed at the perceived wasting of time or frustrated at having to travel unfamiliar paths, relax and look around you.  What new scenery, what new insights can you glean along the way.  Detours can either lengthen or shorten the time it takes you to reach your destination. Either way, it is the new experiences that are important.  Relish the fact that you have been given the opportunity to learn more lessons.  Occasionally we come across a Stop sign and are forced to wait as the world seemingly passes us by.  Use the time wisely.  Contemplate the world as it passes you by.  What can you learn?  You will begin to move again and will reach your destination in good time. The light will begin to shine from between the trees.  All is as it should be.

What detours have you had to take?  What did you learn about yourself and your world along the way?  Has the detour offered you a quicker route to your destination, or has it forced you to slow down and look around you?

Happy journeying.

Fun v Joy and Happiness

“What do you do for fun?”- is a question I have always struggled with. Yet it is a question asked by many if not all counsellors, psychologists, therapists.

I never had an answer.  I didn’t like the question.  I understand now, that the word ‘fun’ is the problem here. 

The literal meaning of ‘fun’ is from hoax or practical joke.  Fun is a source of enjoyment or pleasure, but it can sometimes occur at the expense of other people’s feelings. The enjoyment that fun brings is not lasting and can often leave one with a feeling of emptiness.   A certain amount of playfulness or fun is important in life, but the constant search for fun is not.  Therefore I can now understand why having “fun” is not high on my list of things to do. Don’t get me wrong I do have lots of fun, but I don’t look for it and I often feel deflated when the fun has passed.

More important is the search for happiness and joy.  I would much rather be asked “What brings you joy?” or “What makes you happy?”  These two questions I can answer. 

Joy quite literally is the intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness and the expression or manifestation of such feeling.  Happiness is a feeling of well-being, the absence of fear and a feeling of contentment.  It can range from this feeling of well-being to the intensity of joy.

What brings me these feelings?  The unconditional love of my family and friends, watching my children become mature and wonderful adults, my connection with nature and the divine, the world in which we live,  my work in helping others heal and find their path in life, dancing,  my art ….. I could go on!

Yes there is fun involved in most of these things, but it is the happiness and joy they bring that are most important to me and my life.

What brings you joy and happiness?

Whispers of Wisdom

Your inner wisdom is not usually the loudest voice.  The loudest voice is in all likelihood your ego.  Divine wisdom comes in whispers, in quiet thoughts and fleeting visions.  Trusting those quiet, gentle whispers can be quite a challenge when the ego shouts out it's orders in an effort to be top dog.  Your spirit is calling for stillness and silence, while your ego is shouting out to get things done NOW!  Spirit knows that there is no rush, that all things happen in their own time, but the ego says "you're lazy".  We are not of course talking about the everyday responsibilities of the busy modern woman or man, but the journey of life, the quiet gaining of knowledge about our spiritual path, the following of our life's purpose.  The two sides of life, can and must be integrated into the everyday if balance and inner peace is to be achieved.  All is as it should be.

Disruption

How do you cope with disruption in your life? When storm clouds gather?  When your life - or parts of it - seemingly crumble around you.  Do you feel as if it is the end of your world? Or do you look for the lessons learned, the opportunities for change and the way clear to create a new life - the way you want.

When towers fall, building crumble or trees topple, it is a sign that something is not as it should be.  The foundations may have become weakened, the structure may be in the wrong place, perhaps it has not been nurtured and cared for, or perhaps the design was not appropriate in the first place.

When disruption occurs in your life, look for what has really happened.  You have been given a chance to redesign part or all of your life - to take a new direction in your journey.  Do not focus on what you have lost, but rather what you might reap from the experience.  Life now yours for the making.

A gentle push or an almighty shove?

Sometimes when we don't get the hint to change direction or listen to our intuition, the universe will give us a gentle push.  If we still don't listen then perhaps it will give us an almighty shove.

I hate to admit that I had been ignoring that little voice in my head for some time now.  I REALLY wanted to move my healing practise back to my home, but the thought of emptying and renovating a room, changing all of my advertising and rearranging my life, seemed all too hard - so I tried not to listen to my soul!  So what happened?  I had an almighty shove.

The business where I have had my practise for the past 2 years was sold, and the new owner, without so much as a word to me, began using my room for storage, removed all of my cards and advertising from the front of house, so that when I came back from my holiday I felt well and truly pushed out!

Solution!  Follow my soul advice that I had been ignoring for the past two years, and move home!  I have cleared, renovated and blessed my new healing room at home people - in one weekend!  It really wasn't that hard - and I am so excited that I've finally done it! 

Have you been ignoring that little quiet voice in your head?  Do something about it before push turns to shove. 

Check out my website to find my new address. www.goldenisis.com.au

Intuition

Intuition is the language of the soul, of the universe.  It is time for me now, to become more aware of how the universe is trying to get my attention. (outside of my work)  I have always been very intuitive and use my intuition all the time in my work, but I miss little things on a personal level.  Little subtle messages tend to slip by me.  My work this week is to become more receptive, more insightful and to stop dismissing the little things as unimportant.  A separate journal is in order.  One just to record the synchronicities, the everyday knowing, the kind of things that I generally don't record in my other journals.  I have chosen a beautiful yellow leatherbound Celtic journal - the sort that makes you feel magikal. 

What messages from the universe have you been missing.  Is it time for you to turn inwards to find the solutions and insights that are awaiting you. Listen for phrases or words that are repeated by more than one person - numbers that keep showing up - specific names that you keep hearing.  Thoughts that keep drifting in and out of your mind.  These are signs.  Pay attention.  Be open. 

Observing the psychological landscape

Taking stock

Where are you now on your journey.  Like me you’ve taken the first step of the next adventure, made your resolutions and initiated some changes, but where are you psychologically, emotionally and spiritually.  There is an exercise that I love to do regularly on my journey – it’s like an instant check up.  You can find it in full on my webpage in the “Work with Me” member’s area as it isn’t in the current book. (It will be in the next).  It involves a piece of paper and a pencil, (or paints) and fifteen minutes of drawing, that’s all – and then a little bit of self analysis based on the universal psychological symbols.  All the information you need is on the website.

I can tell from my latest ‘checkup’ that I still need to do a little work on my self esteem.  My life is travelling in the right direction, but I need to trust myself and open up to other people a little more.  I have finally left the traumas of my past behind and removed most of the blocks and walls. 

To continue on my journey however, I must learn to be a little more trusting of not only myself but other people – and I need to figure out another set of ‘changes’ that need to occur.   ‘Changes’ is a great place to re-visit whenever the need arises.

Take a look at your psychological landscape, take stock and see what other 'changes' you need to make before continuing to the next location on your journey.