I’m Sandra Piddock, and I’m a freelance writer, dividing my time between Spain and the UK. I’ll write about anything that interests and/or challenges me, and I like to focus on the lighter side of life whenever possible..
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Fire Dragon Visualisation to transmute negative thinking
Today I did a private reading for a client, and as I was travelling to her home, I was given a message to use a Fire Dragon visualisation to help the lady to transmute her thinking. At that stage, that was all the information I had, but I knew that Spirit would let me know when it was time to do the visualisation, and how to work with it for the best benefit of my client.
It turned out to be a beautiful, powerful visualisation, and I resolved that as soon as I had attended to the necessary tasks for today, I’d write down the visualisation to share it with my readers. I have Diana Cooper’s Dragon Oracle Cards, so I decided to use the Fire Dragon card as one of the illustrations. As usual, I knocked any stuck or residual energy out of the cards, then shuffled them to clear them and infuse my own energy in the deck. Then I turned over the cards to sift through to find the card I needed – a pleasant job, as they are all so beautiful.
Lo and behold, there was the Fire Dragon card, so I took that as a sign not only to get on with writing this, but also to tell you more about Fire Dragons, and Dragons in general, before getting into the visualisation.
What are Dragons exactly?
Dragons are elemental beings from the Angelic Realm. They can consist of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, or be a combination of up to three elements. They also work on different dimensions, from fourth dimension to ninth dimension, and are protective beings who can clear negative energies so we can progress on our soul’s journey at a higher vibration.
They are not the fierce, fire-breathing beasts of myth and legend, who have to be slain by fearless knights before they destroy everything in their path. In fact, dragons work with Nature and with us here on Earth to make the world a better place and to literally light up our lives. They work closely with the Universe for our benefit, if we invite them to work with us. If you’d like to learn more about dragons, check out Diana Cooper’s book, Dragons, Your Celestial Guardians.
Fire Dragons
Fire Dragons are fourth dimensional beings who will burn up the lower energies around us, making way for transforming higher energies to come into our lives. Their red/orange colour is the colour of confidence and courage, and they will help release you from the energetic ties of past challenges so that you can move forward with faith.
According to Diana Cooper, Fire Dragon energy will help you deal more positively with the people and situations around you that are stealing your joy, so they are great allies. Fire is destructive, obviously, but it’s also clearing and cleansing, destroying what doesn’t serve us so we can make room for better things in our lives.
Fear and Love
While we talk of many emotions, both positive and negative, spiritual living comes from just two perspectives, Fear and Love. Fear is the Ego trying to undermine the soul, and thoughts that come from fear are focused on preserving the physical benefits, with no thought for long term happiness. It’s limiting thought processes that will limit your life if you are stuck in that energy.
Love, on the other hand, comes from the Soul, and is limitless and unconditional. Love takes risks for the highest good of all concerned, while Fear wants to maintain the status quo, and preserve the physical benefits at the expense of spiritual growth. Fear worries about having enough of what we want, while Love trusts that the Universe will provide everything we need. It’s that simple, and that complicated!
Fire Dragon Visualisation to Transmute Negative Thinking and Turn Fear to Love
Make yourself comfortable, somewhere you won’t be disturbed. You can do this visualisation sitting or lying down, but it’s important to be fully relaxed, so take three or four deep, calming breaths, inhale for a count of three, hold for three, then exhale for three. Now you’re ready to start.
- Close your eyes and invite your Fire Dragon to come to you to help burn away negative, fear-based thoughts. You may feel heat, and see red behind your eyes as you invoke the dragon energy. Even if you feel or see nothing, know that your Fire Dragon is with you, because you have asked him to be there.
- If you wish, ask your dragon for his name. It doesn’t matter whether he gives you a name or not, the energy is still powerful and protective.
- Now see a road opening up before you. It’s black, just like a regular, tarmac covered road, and it represents your negative, fear-based thought patterns. The road travels downhill, into the lower energetic vibrations.
- Ask your dragon to burn away these lower energies, to make space for higher frequencies to come in. See the flames come from his mouth to destroy the black road. Watch it burn, and watch your Fire Dragon chase down and destroy every inch. As the road goes downhill, the dragon will disappear from view, having consumed all the lower energies with fire.
- Take a moment to experience and appreciate the lightness of not being weighed down by negative, fear-based thinking.
- Now, see your Fire Dragon coming back into view. No longer breathing fire, he’s trailing a new road in his wake, like the jet stream of an airliner, climbing into the sky. This is the pink Road of Love, and it represents your new thinking, where everything and anything is possible. Follow your dragon, and the road,, which forms a bridge to higher energies and connection with the Universe, as it passes up and over your head.
- Affirm that from now on, your thought perspectives will follow the high Road of Love, rather than running down the Road of Fear.
- Thank your Fire Dragon for clearing away the negative, fear-based thoughts and bringing love and positivity back into your life. Come back into the room and have a drink of water.
Shifting your perspective from Fear to Love
How do you change your perspective from Fear to Love? Simply by shifting the energy of your thought processes from negative to positive. When something bad happens, it’s natural to think ‘Why has this happened to me?’ However, if we can realise that change only happens when it needs to, and not because the Universe has it in for us, we can then shift the thinking to a more positive tone. Ask yourself instead, ‘What can I learn from this?’ or ‘What benefits will come from this change?’
The situation hasn’t altered, but your response to it has. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of the changes facing you, you are looking for the benefits. Your thoughts are coming from Love, rather than Fear. It takes time, patience and commitment to shift your thinking in this way, but if you do it enough, it will come naturally.
Remember the Universe can’t distinguish between what’s good and bad in our lives, it can only identify what we focus on as important to us, and that’s what we’ll attract more of. So it’s in our best interests to focus on what we want in our lives, rather than what we don’t want. And the Fire Dragons are always there to help burn away the negatives to make room for better things. All you need to do is ask. Love and blessings.
Image Credits: Featured image Diana Cooper’s Dragon Oracle Cards; Other fire, dragon and candle images Pixabay.com; Cloud dragon image is my own.
Spring Clean for the Soul: Chakra clearing
Earlier this week, a lovely new client came to me for a chakra clearing and cleansing. Nothing surprising there – it’s one of the services I offer. What was strange was that this lady had never had a chakra clearing before, and had no idea what to expect. However, she just knew she needed it, and booked her session on the strength of that inner knowing. It made me realise that maybe I should explain what’s involved in the process, or at any rate, how I do it, because everyone who works with energy has their own ways, encouraged by Spirit and intuition.
Like everything else I do, I am guided by Spirit, but I do have a basic structure for chakra clearing. As you probably know if you’re reading this, chakras are invisible energy centres in the body, and they work best when they are clear, cleansed and aligned. Nobody ever died from a blocked chakra, but you’d be surprised the difference it makes when you receive chakra clearing. You feel lighter energetically, there’s more clarity of thought, and you feel less overwhelmed and more serene.
The real beauty of chakra clearing is that, although I guide you through it, you are getting to know your own energy – both physical and emotional – and you are an active participant in the process, so you are reclaiming your power over your mind and body. Once you know how the process works, you can clear and cleanse your own chakras, any time you like, although it’s a real treat to have someone else take you through it.
Cutting the energetic cords
Because I’m working with your energy as well as the energy of the Angels, I want to give the session the best chance of success, so I guide clients through a cord cutting visualisation with Archangel Michael. Again, this is something that, once you know the process, you can do at home whenever you need to. I have a simple process that was given to me by Spirit at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, and that’s what I use with clients, simply because I feel it’s appropriate, being part of my own unique working relationship with Spirit and the Angels.
Often, the client also feels the presence of Archangel Michael during the cord cutting, and if they have never communicated with angels before, it’s a great demonstration of how anyone can work with angels. It’s just a matter of knowing how to approach them, and it’s surprisingly simple – just like talking to a trusted friend, and just as comforting and uplifting. Once this visualisation is complete, the client feels lighter and more relaxed, ready for the main event!
Crystals and the chakras
As I explain to clients, the crystals I use during chakra cleansing aren’t essential – in a way, they are just props. However, they do help to raise the vibrations in the room, and give focus to the session. In addition to the crystals commonly associated with each of the chakras, I like to have Selenite and Black Tourmaline in the room while I work. Selenite helps the client to relax and strengthens the connection with the Angels, and Black Tourmaline is a protective, grounding stone which has the added benefit of keeping any negative thoughts at bay during the session.
I lay out the crystals alongside the chakra positions, using Black Tourmaline for the Root chakra, Carnelian for the Sacral, Citrine for the Solar Plexus, Rose Quartz and Green Quartz for the Heart, Sodalite for the Throat, Amethyst for the Third Eye and Clear Quartz for the Crown chakra. I’ll go into the crystals and Angels associated with the chakras in more depth in another article, but if you really want to know more now, there’s plenty of excellent information online.
Opening the chakras
There are various ways to visualise opening the chakras. For a quick clearing and cleansing for myself, or for a client during a reading, if I am guided to do so, I imagine the chakras as spinning wheels of different colours, building up from Base to Crown. To find out more, check the chakra clearing link above. For the deeper, more relaxed chakra clearing and cleansing session with clients, I guide them through a beautiful visualisation where the chakras are represented by flowers, opening from buds into the sun and wafting in a light, warm breeze. As I hover a hand over each chakra site, it’s magical to feel the energy shift, knowing that the client is truly working with myself and the Angels for their own benefit.
Bringing in the Angels
Bringing in the Angels associated with each chakra to cleanse and heal is a wonderful experience, for myself and the client, especially if it’s their first encounter with angels. Different experts advocate different angelic associations for the chakras, and as the Angels can see the bigger picture and all are there to help us, that’s perfectly valid, so it’s down to personal choice. I like to invoke Archangel Uriel for the Root Chakra, Chamuel for the Sacral, Jophiel for the Solar Plexus, Raphael for the Heart, Michael for the Throat, Zadkiel for the Third Eye and Archangel Gabriel for the Crown Chakra.
I ask the client to imagine the top of their head opening like a sun roof to allow the angelic healing, cleansing rays to do their work. This part of the session can be very rewarding for the clients, as they may see various colours as the Angels work, and also have visions. For example, a client with a communication problem may feel extra activity around the Throat Chakra, while someone who is opening up to their psychic abilities may feel the Third Eye area fill with the purple rays of Archangel Zadkiel.
Everyone is different, and so is their energetic experience during the session, so I am careful to explain that, even if they don’t sense, see or feel anything happening, they should trust in the process. That said, every client I have worked with so far has received some evidence of angelic presence, so I am thrilled on their behalf, and it’s lovely to know they are experiencing such marvellous moments.
Once the Angels have done their work, I thank them on behalf of the client, and guide them through closing down the chakras. It’s common for emotions to rise to the surface, and for other clearing mechanisms such as coughing and sneezing to occur during chakra cleansing, so I always have a supply of tissues on hand, and some water, as most clients feel thirsty at the end of the process. Some feel the need to use the bathroom – it’s all part of releasing stuck energy so the life force can flow naturally through the body.
I hope this has cleared up some of the mysteries around chakra clearing and cleansing, and it will encourage you to either try it for yourself or contact a local practitioner to book a session. Think of it as a Spring Clean for the Soul, which will declutter your energy and allow you to release attachments to past traumas and move forward into your best life. Love and blessings.
Image credits: All images from Pixabay.com
A List of 8 for Lion’s Gate
Sunday 8 August 2021 marks a doubly auspicious time in the astrological calendar. It’s the recognized activation point of the Lion’s Gate energetic portal, and it’s also New Moon in Leo. You can read about it in this excellent article, but in this piece, I want to concentrate on how the prevailing energies are likely to affect you, and how to cope with it all. For empaths and lightworkers, and anybody in touch with their spiritual side and higher consciousness, Lion’s Gate is a quixotic, heady mix of celebration and wanting to crawl away until it’s all over and the energies settle again.
I’ve certainly felt this perfect storm of energies, and many of the online spiritual groups I belong to are full of posts about not feeling as positive as normal, feeling overwhelmed, emotional, fearful and anxious for no good reason, and generally having too many Bad Vibe Days. It’s a relief to know I’m not the only one experiencing this, but it doesn’t make it any easier to get through it, does it? Yesterday was one of those days where I felt like I’d been hit with the proverbial Ton of Bricks, and nothing much happened, creatively, practically or any other way. Today, I am back on top of my game again, and herein lies the main lesson of Lion’s Gate, and indeed, life itself:
It’s okay to not be okay!
We tell ourselves, and anyone who will listen, that an Attitude of Gratitude is vital for spiritual growth and abundance. When we feel like the Universe has it in for us – especially with no good reason – we beat ourselves up, and that makes us feel even worse. We tend to forget that we are human, with all the attendant mess of feelings and illogicalities that go with it, and like all humans, we are not perfect. It’s okay to have off days, and when we get them, we should nurture ourselves through them, not turn into some sort of Self-flagellating Spiritual Sergeant Major who expects the impossible from ourselves and others.
Instead of berating yourself for these feelings, celebrate them, because if you are feeling like this, it means you are sensitive to the prevailing energies. The fact that you are not carrying on regardless means you will benefit from them in the long term, even though you may be riding a rocky road at the moment. It’s normal to feel exhausted and overwhelmed when moving through such a powerful energy cycle, and the best way to come through it is to acknowledge that and rest and recharge, rather than trying to push yourself through the pain. ‘Feeling the Burn,’ whether physically or emotionally, just doesn’t work, and it never has.
Yesterday, I decided to allow my energetic field time to replenish itself. I made the conscious decision that everything could wait for another day. I did a few Samurai Sudoku puzzles, watched some quizzes and documentaries on TV, read, chatted to my friend and caught up on cuddles with my dog Luna. It may surprise you to know I didn’t even pull any oracle cards or meditate, and I more or less gave myself a day off from Facebook. The only ‘Non-Me’ thing I did was get in some shopping to tide us over the weekend, so I didn’t have to brave the hordes in Lidl today – Saturday. Even then, I made it into a Me Thing by just getting the essential stuff and collecting a takeaway on the way home, so I didn’t have to cook.
As a result, I feel truly refreshed, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The house hasn’t fallen down around me because I didn’t do any cleaning or washing, and the garden hasn’t suffered for not having the fig leaves and doggy doings cleared up like clockwork, If you’re wondering why I put the block on my usual spiritual practices for the day, well, sometimes that’s counterproductive when you’re feeling overwhelmed. If you don’t get right into the zone when you meditate, or immediately pick up on what the cards are telling you, it can intensify those feelings of disconnection. Self-care itself is a powerful spiritual practice, and you don’t need divination tools or a specific routine or ritual to do it. You just need to take notice of what your mind and body is telling you.
New Beginnings
Every day is a new beginning, and a new chance to learn and grow, but New Moon and Lion’s Gate are powerful opportunities to move forward, practically and emotionally. New Moon is a time for setting goals and intentions, and Lion’s Gate is all about new beginnings as well. Astrologically, it occurs when Sirius – also known as the ‘Spiritual Sun’ – is in alignment with Earth. As Sirius is connected to abundance and harvest, this time is like a Spiritual New Year, and the Ancients certainly saw it as such.
With the New Moon happening in Leo, the sign of confidence, bravery and strength, new ventures, whether professional or personal, have the best chance of bearing fruit. The lion (Leo) is after all King of the Jungle, and by harnessing these powerful energies to your advantage, you too can be King – or Queen – of Anything and Everything, but most importantly, Lion’s Gate energies can help you enormously on your path to enlightenment and self-mastery.
The key to all this is to move into Lion’s Gate with faith in yourself and the Universe, and the firm intention of embracing change and releasing those connections and thought patterns that no longer work for you, so you can make that new beginning in every sense. You may also need to let go of your expectations of how you believe your life should be, and allow the manifestation potentials of New Moon and Lion’s Gate to work with you to bring you your best life.
The Power of 8
In Numerology, 8 is the number of manifestation and abundance, and August 8 (8/8) is extra powerful, because there’s a double dose of 8s, which is recognised as a Good Thing. Sideways, the number 8 is the symbol for infinity, and its shape represents the flow and balance of life itself. It’s the number associated with karma, or the spiritual law that states ‘What goes around, comes around.’ So it’s a strong, powerful number.
Seeing the number 8 is a reminder that you deserve abundance, but to benefit fully from its energies, remember that abundance isn’t just about the bank balance, it’s about life balance too. Remember to share your abundance with others, to bring even more of the same into your life.
Take some time to write down 8 things you would like to bring into your life, changes you would like to make, and ways to make life more abundant for others. Then call on Archangel Ariel, the Angel of Manifestation, to help you turn your list into your reality. Don’t worry about how these things will happen, know that when you have set your intention and shared it with the Universe, you can bring them into your life by feeling they are already here. Stuck for inspiration? I’ll share my list with you if you like!
Lion’s Gate List of 8: The things I want to manifest in my life right now
- Self-healing: I want to connect more with my mind and body, so it becomes clearer to me what I still need to release and heal from in order to move forward and grow. I need to treat myself with the same compassion I show to others, and nourish all aspects of my being.
- Increased intuition: Lion’s Gate is a time of activation for the Third Eye Chakra. I want to develop my intuition more, so I can better serve others, and also my own soul’s needs.
- Increased self-appreciation: Like most people, I am guilty of stringent self-criticism at times. I need to learn to love myself more, and cut myself some emotional slack. I’m not perfect, and I shouldn’t expect perfection in myself.
- A more disciplined approach to creativity: As a Gemini, I am easily distracted by the Next Shiny New Thing. As such, I have at least three books in my head that have yet to make it into print. I need to bring more structure into all aspects of my creative life – particularly my writing.
- Better communication all around: For me, this New Moon is in my Third House, which is all about communication. That also ties in with the previous point. After all, writing is communication too! I want to bring more clarity into all my communications, whether written, spoken or thought, so that I know where I am going and what’s important, and so does everyone I interact with.
- Working more with healing energy: I discovered I am a natural healer. That doesn’t make me special – everyone is! I’ve been working with my own energy, and learning more about how I can use it to help others. Now I am ready for more structured study, so one of my intentions for Lion’s Gate is to bring more discipline into this area of my spiritual life.
- Connect more with my Heart Centre: Leo is linked to the Heart Chakra, and all spiritual work stems from love, so we can never have too strong a connection to the Heart Centre. I want to work on this for myself, and also help others to do the same. All we ever need is within us, we just need to uncover it and connect with it, then we can manifest true abundance of spirit for ourselves and those we love.
- Don’t Worry, Be Happy: I thought long and hard about this one – it is, after all, Number 8, and we’ve already learned how powerful that can be! It therefore follows that this intention should bring together everything I want for myself, going forward. Happiness has to come from within – it’s not linked to a destination, a person or an achievement. I need to be 100% Happy to be Me, and release any worries about what might go wrong in this process. I always tell my lovely friends and clients that they alone are responsible for their own happiness. It doesn’t come from the dream home, the dream job, or the perfect partner – it comes from knowing that you deserve to be happy, and being happy now. It’s that Attitude of Gratitude again – count your blessings and you will have even more reasons to be thankful. Now I need to listen to my own excellent advice!
Your own Lion’s Gate and New Moon practices
How you articulate and celebrate your intentions is of course entirely up to you. If you don’t want to do anything specific, then don’t. Just thinking about your intentions brings them into reality, there doesn’t have to be a set routine or ritual, unless that’s what you want. I will just mention that setting down your intentions in writing does seem to add more manifesting power to the elbow of the Universe though! I would definitely recommend making a List of 8 for Lion’s Gate.
My own plan is to sit with my list at midnight, in my garden, with the trees around me. We may not be able to see the New Moon, but its energies are there for us to absorb. I will also have my selenite unicorn horn, as I read through my intentions and visualise how they will work for me. Then I will place the list under my pillow, and do what I do every night before I sleep – I’ll thank the Universe for the blessings of the day. Tonight, as every other night, I will go to sleep with a grateful heart. Love and blessings to you all.
Energetic cord cutting visualisation with Archangel Michael
Just over a year ago, I shared this visualisation after being given it by Spirit to help friends who were feeling anxious about the effect Covid-19 was having on their lives. We couldn’t have known then that we would still be under restrictions from the pandemic as I write this in May 2021, but the focus seems to have changed for many people. We are learning to live with Covid, but we are finding it difficult to cope with the uncertainties of our lives, and this is causing anxiety now, rather than any fear of catching the disease itself.
A recurrent theme for me in recent readings is that people are wondering what the future holds, and also blaming themselves for not coping well with the pandemic. We feel we should be more supportive of our loved ones, and we should be handling things better than we are. Wake up call time: if the world’s governments can’t get a real grip on the ongoing situation, with all the expert advice at their disposal, don’t you think it’s asking a lot of yourself to do better?
The truth is, there is no blueprint for handling this type of situation, where pretty much everything is out of our hands, and we can’t see how it can be resolved. And that sends us into a downward spiral of overthinking, which commandeers our thought processes to the extent that all we can focus on is our failure to deal with stuff. And it’s not confined to Covid either. When something triggers a memory from the past, we are reminded of our perceived failings there as well, so we beat ourselves up even more. And all of this is stealing our joy in the present moment – because despite the pandemic and the restrictions still in place which are keeping us apart from our loved ones, there is a lot to be thankful for.
When we talk about the Law of Attraction, we need to keep in mind that the idea of ‘What you put out is what you get back,’ while accurate, is also a little simplistic. The Universe is very good at picking up on what we give our focus to, but it’s not so hot on differentiating between what we want more of, and what we want less of. Because we give a lot of energy via thought waves to issues of concern, the Universe identifies that it’s important to us, and therefore it sends more for us to worry about, rather than helping us to navigate through our current concerns. This in turn muddles our thinking even more, so the answers seem ever more distant.
Cutting energetic cords brings a calmness to your mind that helps you to step back and get more clarity around the situation, thereby opening up the way for your intuition to help you resolve things in the best way possible for all concerned. I’ve now been given a new visualisation, which I often use before readings, as it helps my clients to be more receptive to guidance from Spirit and the Angels. I’m going to share it now with you, with love.
Cord cutting visualisation with Archangel Michael:
Sit or lie comfortably, somewhere free from distractions and interruptions. This just takes a few minutes, but you may wish to meditate on how you feel or just reflect on the visualisation afterwards, so allow yourself enough time.
- Close your eyes and take three deep breaths, breathing in pure white love to a count of three through the nose, hold the breath for three, then exhale through the mouth for three, releasing all tensions, doubts and anxieties as you go. You may want to give the ‘out’ breath a colour, say red or dark blue, then see it lighten with each breath as you release stress. If you still don’t feel completely relaxed, repeat the process until you do. Breath work is never wasted!
- Now imagine you have a ball of black modelling clay in your hands. It’s quite small, but as you roll it around, see yourself adding layers by transferring all your concerns to the ball, and seeing it grow larger. When you feel that everything that’s worrying you has now been added to the ball, make a final layer from any subconscious worries and triggers you can’t even bring to mind.
- Attach a string to the ball. It doesn’t matter how long or short it is, or what it’s made from, it will be exactly the right length for your needs, so don’t worry about it – just know the string is there.
- Now, take the end of the string between your thumb and forefinger, and cup the ball containing everything that no longer serves you in the palm of your hand. Fling it as hard and as far as you can, and watch it go out of sight.
- Because you are still attached to the ball via the string, it comes bouncing back towards you, very fast, but not fast enough!
- Now call on Archangel Michael to step forward with his Sword of Light and cut through the energetic cords represented by the string in your hand. See the sword – which is a bit like Darth Vader’s Lightsabre, only it’s used for good, rather than evil – slice through the cord with one blow.
- Once again, watch the black ball go from your sight. Interestingly, now Archangel Michael has severed the energetic cords, it has no power or strength, and drifts aimlessly out of sight. And it doesn’t come back.
- Thank Archangel Michael for his help. You may feel a comforting presence, like a hug, around your shoulders. If you don’t, don’t worry, just trust that he is there, because you called on him for help.
- When you feel ready, bring yourself back to the here and now and open your eyes. If you want to take some time to meditate or reflect on your visualization, now is the best time, while it’s all fresh. to you
Whenever I run through this with my clients, they look and feel happier, lighter and more relaxed, and you will too. How does this happen? It’s a mixture of intentionally shifting your energy focus, and the magical workings of Archangel Michael. Don’t overthink it – just enjoy those lovely feelings, and the clarity of thought that comes with it.
Cutting energetic cords is like peeling an onion, sometimes you need to go through more layers to get to the best bits, so do this exercise whenever you feel the need to. If you’re overwhelmed, or your thoughts are negative, do a cord cutting visualisation. There are always things to leave behind. This is particularly powerful at the time of the Full Moon, which is traditionally a good time to release anything that no longer serves you.
You may wish to record the visualisation, so you can listen to it playing back and give your energy your full attention. Or why not do it with a friend, taking turns to guide each other through the process? However you choose to cut cords, enjoy the experience, and let me know how you get on with it. Love and blessings.
Happiness is a job, and here’s how to upgrade your career status
There’s a song called Happiness, made famous by Liverpool comedian Ken Dodd way back in 1964. The first line describes happiness as ‘The greatest gift that I possess.’ While I love the song, I take issue with the sentiment. Happiness is within us, whenever we want it, so it’s not a gift, it’s as essential to a healthy life as your heart or your kidneys.
However, while the organs work automatically for our benefit, happiness isn’t something that can run in the background. You need training to use it, so I see happiness as a job for life, with a pension that you are able to draw on from the minute you tap into your own happiness.
In his comedy routines, Ken Dodd talked about ‘exercising your chuckle muscles,’ but happiness isn’t a physical state, it’s a state of mind. so you don’t need to head off to pump iron at the gym in order to be happy. You do have to recognise that you, and only you, are responsible for your happiness though.
You won’t be happy when the Neighbour from Hell moves 100 miles away, or when your child graduates from university with a First, or even when you meet the love of your life. You see happiness does not depend on the presence or absence of people or things – it depends on your state of mind, and your ability or otherwise to live in the now. If you are constantly looking back to perceived better times, or forward to a future of happiness and hope, you are missing out on the things that would make you happy right now, in this moment, if only you brought your attention to them.
See happiness as a vocation – something you will be doing for the rest of your life, because it’s something you love to do, and something you would do, even if you weren’t paid for it. Of course, if your performance doesn’t come up to scratch, you are either sidelined for promotion, or you are sacked. So work at being happy – not by forcing it, but including it in your routine until it becomes as natural as breathing.
Employees at the top of their game are an inspiration to others, and this brings job satisfaction in its wake. So there’s a feelgood factor about being the reason that someone else is happy. Look on it as a productivity bonus – although there is no salary for the job of being happy. Other than a lifetime of positivity, of course – which is beyond price.
So, look on being happy as an astute career move, when all the work you put in is acknowledged rewarded, and the working conditions get better and better as you move up the ladder. When you find yourself having a problem maintaining happiness, examine your options. Check in on your inner Human Resources, and find help and inspiration. You are entitled to happiness – it’s your job to be happy. Remember that.
Ask the Angels – They are waiting to help you
As more and people turn to spirituality and move away from recognised religious practices, the concept of prayer is changing too. Traditional formally worded, one-size-fits-all prayers are making way for more heartfelt, personalised, spontaneous requests for divine help, and all you have to do is to ask the angels. It really is that simple!
Angelic roots
Angels figure in many religions and belief systems, and have done for millennia. The term itself derives from Greek and Latin roots meaning ‘messenger.’ With the exception of Sandalphon and Metatron, who were incarnated as the Biblical prophets Elijah and Enoch, angels have never existed in human form.
This distinction is emphasised by the fact that all the other members of the Angelic Realm have names ending with the suffix ‘-el,’ which means ‘God.’ Therefore, angels are messengers between Heaven and Earth. The most well known messenger is Archangel Gabriel, who announced the Nativity of the Messiah.
Angels may be from a higher realm, but they are always instantly accessible. Under the Universal Laws, if anyone asks an angel for assistance, they are obliged to help. However, they cannot just step in and fix everything, because it would interfere with the exclusively human prerogative of Free Will. Such action would disrupt the delicate Spirit/Human balancing act. We need to face up to and overcome challenges in order to learn and grow, both spiritually and emotionally.
How can Angels help you?
Angels can and will come to your aid, but it may not be in the way you envisage it. The Universal Laws dictate that the solution to your problem must be for the Highest Good of all concerned. If you’re thinking to put out a Celestial Contract on a troublesome ex partner, the angels can’t deliver.
That’s a shame from some perspectives, because angels have no use for cash, and they can’t give evidence against you or be judgmental. However, the ex may suddenly get an offer they can’t refuse which means relocating, so everyone gets emotional space and nobody gets hurt. That’s the way angels rock, and it’s a lot less messy as well.
For the angels to help you in the best way possible, you must trust them to do the necessary to ensure the best outcome for yourself and others who may also be affected. Don’t give them a wish list to work from, because what you want isn’t necessarily what you need for your soul’s growth. They can see the bigger picture, including the pitfalls associated with your requests.
Talking to the Angels
So, how do you talk to the angels? In the same way you’d talk to any other friend.The difference is, you’ll hold the conversation in your head, and it will be a monologue rather than a dialogue. Start by asking the angels to draw near. If you have a particular intent, you can call on a named angel, such as Raphael for healing, Chamuel for love, or Michael for justice and protection. Otherwise, just inwardly ask for anyone who can help to step forward, and outline your problem.
Keep it positive, because the thoughts you put out are the ones that will be returned to you under the Law of Attraction, so be careful with your phrasing. And remember, the angels know what you need most to be happy and fulfilled, so take a leap of faith and allow them to work their miracles unhindered.
Remember to show gratitude for all the good things in your life – waking up every morning is a bonus, after all! Then thank the angels for their help, and look for signs to show your prayers are being answered. You may experience synchronicities, where events just slot into place, or people come into your life just when they are needed.
Also you may see patterns of repeating numbers, or hear the same song on the radio often. Maybe even see repeating symbols, like birds, butterflies or rainbows. When these things happen, notice where you are and what else is going on around you, so you can play your own part in co-creating your best life.
Asking the angels for help
Asking the angels for help in manifesting abundance and happiness is as natural as calling in a plumber to fix a water leak. You don’t need to use special words to make yourself understood, because they are the experts, and they know what you need.
Remember to approach the angels with love and gratitude in your heart as you ask for their help. Never request anything that would harm anyone – yourself included. Work with the angels for the Highest Good of all concerned, and live your best life. You know it makes sense.
We talk about kindness – but what is it really?
There’s a lot of talk about kindness right now, following the recent tragic suicide of Caroline Flack. The former Love Island presenter was due to face trial charged with assaulting her boyfriend. Mental health problems and pressure from mainstream media and social media trolls proved too much for her.
Just a couple of days before she died alone at home, Caroline put out a message saying:
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
It has become her epitaph, and people are adding ‘Be Kind’ to their social media profiles, and urging people to check on fragile friends and family members. While it’s an admirable sentiment, there are a couple of flaws in this theory.
The good and the bad
The first problem is, such an all-encompassing, sweeping statement just adds to the distress of the deceased’s friends and family. We tend to blame ourselves when a loved one passes in these circumstances, and they will have already been thinking along the lines of, ‘Why didn’t I do enough/say enough/support her more/visit more?’ You can probably add other ‘Why’s’ and ‘If only’s’ to this list – the permutations are endless.
The second issue is more complex. Kindness can work miracles, but in some cases, it’s just not enough. When someone is in the grip of a deep, all-consuming depression, they can’t be saved – or pushed over the edge – by kindness alone.
Often when true depression hits, reasoning leaves by the fire exit, and the object of your kindness may not even recognise it for what it is. When you can’t even process your own motives and feelings, nothing else has any impact, positive or negative. All you want to do is make it stop.
What is kindness really?
Kindness in its purest, most helpful state of being can’t be turned on and off like a tap, or the central heating. It’s a state of being and a way of living. It’s not something you’re born with, either, although it is something you can and should nurture and cultivate in yourself.
Kindness is like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes, and the stronger you become as a result. It emanates from you, and is noticeable without the need to draw attention to it. You can’t hide it, because, just like ripped muscles, it’s there for all to see in the way you carry yourself.
On the other side of the coin, if you don’t exercise kindness regularly, just like muscles, it will waste away from your being. And again, it will be aparrent to everyone around you. Your body may not be out of condition, but your soul certainly will be, and it will show on the exterior.
Just as muscles cannot be built up overnight, nor can kindness. You don’t need to work hard to build kindness, but it does require regular practice. It can’t be emphasised enough – kindness is not a trend that will be forgotten when the Next Big Thing hits the news and social media. Just two weeks after everyone’s news feed was full with ‘Be Kind’ memes and hearts, the Coronavirus hype has taken over, and suddenly everyone is a public health pundit.
How do we utilise kindness?
So, how can we best cultivate and utilise kindness? Lead by example, and do it quietly. If you plaster evidence of your kindness all over the place, it doesn’t come from the soul, it comes from the ego. Kindness does not need recognition or validation.
True kindness is its own reward, because when we help someone with words, thoughts or actions, we vibrate at a higher level of energy, and we feel better about ourselves. Not because everyone knows about it and is congratulating us, but because, thanks to something we did, another human being feels better about themselves and their situation than they did previously.
Be kind – always. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone – including yourself. True kindness really does make the world a better place. Let’s spread it far and wide.
Also see my post Happiness is a job, and here’s how to upgrade your career status.
Clearing Lower Energies From Your Space
As we head to the August full moon, the energies suggest that we clear stuff that no longer serves us and drags our vibrations down, ready to replace the low, stagnant energies with something more positive. Full moon is a time for abundance, but in order to bring in the good, we have to release the bad energies – whether coming from ourselves, from others, or from situations.
I have something I really need to release right now, and I was meditating on it this morning when I was given this exercise. Although it is initially a gift to me from Spirit, they know I like to share anything that helps me grow and learn, so here it is.
Are you dealing with a particular issue that is allowing lower energies into your space? Think of a sentence, or even just a word, that sums up what you need to release. Mine is ‘I refuse to allow those who do not serve my highest good to disturb my inner peace and steal my joy’
Now get a large sheet of paper. draw a big pink heart on it, and write your sentence in big letters inside the heart. Take up all the space, so that your issue is literally enclosed and touched by loving heart energy. In the two mounds at the top of the heart, write your signature and the date on the left side, and the time on the right side.
Here’s the twist – choose a coloured pencil or pen to help you to release what you need to, and also amplify the blessings you will receive once you have cleared this energy block. Working with colours can be very insightful, and very therapeutic spiritually as well. As with most colour related practices Spirit give me, it’s based around red, blue, green and yellow.
In my case, I wrote my sentence in red, and not just because it is my favourite colour! Red is for courage, strength and empowerment, and I need courage and strength to work through this particularly challenging release. The empowerment follows successful release, which will help myself and a very good friend to eliminate an ongoing negative impact in both our lives and move forward in joy.
If it’s a healing situation, for yourself and/or others, choose green. It’s a colour to help you deal with the stresses of the modern world in all its manifestations, whether related to work or personal life. Your reward is balance and harmony, and a feeling of renewed energy.
If the situation is centred around communication or trust, then write in blue. It’s the colour of clarity, communication and peaceful reconciliation. Your reward is peace, tranquility, and physical and emotional relaxation.
Is something or someone stealing your joy? Maybe you have a personal block that is preventing you from moving into the creative and abundant state of being we all deserve to experience. Write your sentence in yellow. Yellow gives you the confidence and self esteem you need to move through this situation and live your best life in happiness and joy.
Once your paper is ready, call on Archangel Ariel, the Angel of Abundance to help you. Invoke Ariel by saying, ‘Archangel Ariel’ three times to form a strong connection, then inwardly or out loud, whichever suits you best, say these words:
Archangel Ariel, I call on you in humility, love and grace to help me to release and transmute any negativity in any shape or form that is preventing me from moving into abundance and joy and living my best life
I use the cleansing power of fire to return this energy to the Earth, so that from it, love may rise like a phoenix and embrace all those who have been affected.
It is done
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Now hold the paper over your heart centre with the words facing inwards. Take three deep breaths in through the nose, holding each breath for a count of three before releasing through the mouth..Imagine white, cleansing clouds of air entering your body, and black clouds of negativity leaving it, getting lighter on each exhale.
If, after three breaths, you are still visualising very dark smoke, take three more breaths, and then three more if you need to. The aim is to visualise those black clouds turning to grey, and maybe even white, because that means you are actively releasing negativity, even though you may not feel any different.
Finally, hold the paper over a fireproof dish or container, light a stick of white sage incense, and before the flame goes out and the incense starts to smoke, touch the stick to the bottom corner of the paper to set it alight. The cleansing flames of white sage will begin to transmute the energies in the paper.
When it has burned through, bury the ashes in a corner of your garden that you can see all the time, or that you walk past regularly. Visualise the remnants of the paper turning into the vibrant pink light of unconditional love, and imagine that light reaching upwards and outwards like the branches of a big tree, and filling you with light and love. Now, visualise opening your heart centre to send that love anyone involved in the situation, or even just the situation itself.
Do this every day for a week. If you still feel you haven’t released most or all of your emotions related to the sentence on the paper, you can repeat the practice again. Releasing is like peeling away layers of an onion – sometimes, it’s fairly easy, at other times, you have to work a bit harder to achieve the outcome you want.
I did my releasing exercise yesterday, and I feel so much more settled and motivated today. I’ve done a bunch of stuff around the house – probably as much as I’d do in three or four days normally. I’m tired now, but it’s a good tired. I feel I’ve accomplished something important with this release, and I’m ready to move forward in love and joy. Let me know how you get on in the comments. Please do read more on my blog. Love and blessings to you all.
My first Skype reading – and it went really well!
Mrs Mummypenny – aka Lynn James. A good friend and my first client for a Skype reading.
I’m really proud of myself – and not a little bit amazed – at how quickly my psychic powers seem to be developing. I’m also getting more and more into using crystals, for myself and for others. At times it can get a bit overwhelming – such as when Lynn James, a friend and fellow writer, asked me to give her a Skype reading, as she was facing major business and lifestyle decisions, and she wasn’t really sure which path to follow.
Lynn is the creator and owner of Mrs Mummypenny.co.uk, an award-winning personal finance and lifestyle blog she started five years ago. It’s now so big that she works on it full time, and has many corporate and personal clients. She’s also writing for newspapers and magazines and making media appearances on tv and radio, spreading the message about getting debt under control and living the life you want to live.
Lynn is also into crystals, meditation and spiritual development, and has asked me to write a guest blog post about using crystals and meditation to help clear your thought processes, reduce stress and progress your business. You may think spiritual stuff has very little to do with business and PR, but it’s surprising how many successful and aspirational people are using the power of the Universe to help and guide them in their daily life. Even Richard Branson is a keen advocate of meditation and mindfulness, and if it’s good enough for him, then it’s also good enough for the rest of us!
I was happy to advise Lynn on crystals, and suggest suitable meditation techniques, but I was rather reluctant to do a reading, especially as I’d never done one before! During my psychic development training with my friend and mentor Alison Wynne-Ryder, I’d done mini readings for fellow students and another medium, and I was pleased with the messages I was able to bring through, but a full Skype reading? That was a step too far – or so I thought!
I offered to put Lynn in touch with a more experienced psychic reader, but it was me she wanted, so I asked the audience – or rather my other psychic teachers and good friends – how to go about it. Fiona Surtees, Alison and Tricia Lee, assured me that I would know what to do, and said I should ask the Angels and my spirit guides for help, and to bring through messages to help Lynn. It all sounded so easy, but I was terrified, and it was only my strong desire to help Lynn that carried me through.
I prepared by meditating the night before the reading, and calling on Archangel Zadkiel for help. He’s the one to help with connecting to the Divine, which is what you need to do if you want to progress along your spiritual path and help others with psychic readings and messages. In case you don’t already know, you can call on the Angels and Archangels at any time and they will help you, although they won’t chip in and sort stuff without being asked, as we all have free will, and they won’t mess around with that.
As we connected on Skype, I chatted to Lynn for a few minutes to relax us both, and also to find out what she hoped to gain from the reading. The most successful readings are those where the client has a specific purpose in mind, and tells you what they want from the reading. That helps to bring the right messages through. It’s no good turning up for a reading and being vague about it. Yes, it’s fine to hope that Aunt Mabel will come through with words of wisdom, but Spirit and the Angels don’t waste their energy by just popping in for a chat and a cup of tea. They can’t have the tea anyway, and when they come to us, they come with help, advice and comfort, not just to discuss the weather or the latest football results.
I was pleased to have some messages which I instinctively knew were for Lynn, even though they came to me in my sleep, and as we talked, I got more messages coming through. I was actually doing a ‘for real’
Myself and my friend Denise receiving our Spiritual Development certificates from our tutor, mentor and friend Alison Wynne-Ryder.
psychic reading, and I was loving it. A couple of times, Lynn looked quite shocked, and I asked what was wrong. It turned out that I’d told her things that she hadn’t told anyone else, not even those closest to her. When she asked how I knew, I admitted that I didn’t, but my Upstairs Team did, and they wanted me to pass that knowledge on to help her with her decisions.
Another thing she remarked on during the reading was that at times, I looked very much like her mother, who is in Spirit. That explained a minor mystery to me, because I felt a presence, but didn’t recognise who it was. Clearly Lynn’s Mum was showing herself in a way her daughter could accept and understand, and it brought a lot of comfort to her.
By the end of the reading, Lynn looked and felt happier and more relaxed. She said she had a lot to think about, but she could now see her path more clearly. As an added bonus, she went on to have the best night’s sleep she’d had in months. Neither myself nor anyone had told her what she should do – nobody on Earth or elsewhere in the Universe can do that. However, the messages I’d channelled for her had helped to clear her thinking, so her mind was no longer whizzing around like a hamster’s wheel at top speed.
Both Lynn and I felt both relaxed and energised after our Skype session. It’s a difficult sensation to explain, but it comes from knowing for sure that the Universe has your back, and that whatever life throws at you, you can deal with it, with a little help from the Angels and Spirit. My spiritual development teachers all say the same thing – don’t just talk about it, and read about it, get on and do it. And you know what? They’re right!
Image credit: Lynn James