Cimone-Louise shares with you a daily ritual you can put in place to bring more into your life through the simple act of being grateful for what you have now, while also “paying it forward” and being grateful for what is about to arrive.
If you want to know more, connect via her website.
‘Solstice’ named from the time of the Vikings, conjurs up ideas of Pagan beliefs and values. It literally means ‘sun stands still’.
On the 21st June, we will experience the shortest day of the year and whilst many Pagans perform rituals designed to raise the energy from the Earth and send it out into the world, it is said that the Winter Solstice is a time to reflect on what has happened throughout the cyclic year and I will be celebrating it by creating a healthy relationship with nature.
It is through understanding nature and the Great Mother and her rhythmic cycles, that we can begin to look within, to ourself. For me the Solstice starts with meditating at sunrise at my local beach, or my labyrinth, my powerful sacred spot. Symbolically it represents a positive time for me where I become aware of any hidden masks and energetic dross.
I have found that walking the labyrinth is a great way to honour the time of the Solstice. The metaphor for me is about putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward within my life knowing that there are no straight roads, just lots of curves and meandering paths leading me to the centre. A time for me to reflect on the year and walk and let go. By simply being ‘present’ with myself and my breath, I become much more aware of my own light. As that Divine light is my life. A light I prepare to let shine again.
Before I begin the walk, I write a list of things that are termed ‘things to be released’ like relationships or personality masks. I also write down the feelings and other intimate things I want to manifest in the coming year. When I get to the centre, I ceremoniously burn the list in a SACRED urn and offer gratitude and prayer. On the path out, I will be reintegrating everything I received at the centre, knowing that I have released my burdens and stepped out into the unknown again, full of the joy and of the possibility that I am no longer the same.
A few ways you could celebrate the Winter Solstice are:
- Meditating at sunrise giving GRATITUDE for ……..
- Creating a vision board for the new energy of transformation
- Reintegrate the new energy by creating a ‘Spirit Stick’ as a beautiful symbolic process for the new energies to be manifested. I love this process as it is extremely meditative and powerful, or
- Join me on 21st June at Sydney Centennial Park at 9.30am to be part of a FREE community walk at the Sydney Centennial Park Labyrinth.
Karen Quant is the founder of SACRED CLEARINGS and BOORI BOORI Labyrinth in Bucca Wauka, near Gloucester, NSW.
This beautiful stone labyrinth is the inspiration behind Karen’s mentoring, workshops and retreats, and you can find out more on her Boori Boori Facebook Page.
For more information about the Sydney Centennial Park Winter Solstice Walk click here or go to www.sacredclearings.com.au to sign up for Karens newsletter on labyrinth events held at her own labyrinth “Boori Boori” near Gloucester.
Every time I see my grandchildren I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the gift I have received, that is, experiencing the joy of being a mother and grandmother. Being grateful doesn’t only mean being thankful for what I have, for me it’s something more profound. It is a spiritual experience that brings me to a different level of understanding and love. A level that extends far beyond the physical and material world, a connection with my soul.
I have been practicing gratitude for a long time and it has helped me to grow spiritually and emotionally, making my life much more positive. Like many other people, I do experience challenges and setbacks. It’s part of life. Any time I have a problem, I start to look… The challenge is a way to learn something new and to move beyond my comfort zone. It’s not the experience itself to be positive or negative. It’s our perception of the experience that transforms a normal day into a bad or good day. It’s our choice!
You can practice gratitude in 5 easy steps:
1) Start every day with a big thank you. As soon as you open your eyes say “Thank You.” It’s another new day. A day to create, to live and to discover. How exciting!
2) Keep a gratitude scrapbook. If you are having a bad day, write down the good things that you have in your life. Add some pictures or some colourful paper. Use your creativity and have fun. Appreciate the little things. They make your life meaningful too.
3) Make a gratitude vision board using your computer. Add pictures to your page, anything you are grateful for. Once the digital vision board is ready, use it as screensaver. Every day, you will have the opportunity to see it several times. A way to remind yourself and appreciate the many blessings in your life.
4) Write short gratitude notes and stick them around the house or at work, in places where you can see them often. Be specific and move them around: “I am grateful because I am loved and supported” or “I am grateful for my healthy body” or ” I am grateful for the love of my husband, children or friends”.
5) Start to practice a daily five minutes gratitude meditation. Sit down with your back straight and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. Go through each person – or each thing – that makes your life positive and complete. Say “Thank you” for each of them. It could be the meal that you just had or the walk in the sun, shining bright. The smile of a friend or the hug of your child.
Gratitude is like a magnet that attracts more and more positivity into your life. Don’t take anything for granted and be grateful even for the smallest gifts that you receive every day… enjoy the journey!
Admit it. There you were, sitting in your car stuck in traffic when your favourite song came on the radio. Before you knew it, you were belting it out at the top of your lungs, drumming your fingers on the steering wheel and having a great time – until you noticed the person in the next car laughing at you.
So what’s their problem? Don’t they know that singing is one of the most effective ways to release stress? Plus it’s free, available 24/7 and has no toxic side-effects.
In traditional societies, singing and making sound is just part of the culture. Songs and music are often the sound track to daily activities and nobody feels that they ‘can’t sing’ or that they shouldn’t.
So why do we feel that singing in our Western culture is something that belongs to professional performers, and that if we are going to sing, we should be singing ‘well’ i.e. like a professional!?
As a singer and sound healer, I can testify to the healing power of making any type of sound, whether that’s a primal scream, a soothing tone like ‘mmm’ or ‘sshh’, or a beautiful, heart-opening song. Sound is a vibration which moves energy – it travels in waves and impacts all that it touches. Modern medicine uses powerful sound waves to scan the body and even break up kidney stones (ultrasound). The first sense to develop in foetuses is hearing and when we whisper ‘sshh’ to a baby, we are emulating the sounds it first heard within the womb.
We have all heard of the opera singer who shatters the wine glass when her voice reaches a certain pitch and resonance – this is because everything is vibrating at a specific frequency and when the singer’s voice matches the resonant frequency of the glass, it breaks.
So when you sing, let out a cry of pain or whisper ‘sshh’ to your baby, you are actually moving and changing energy. Singing an upbeat song can energise you, crooning a lullaby or toning a single note can calm you down. If you have never seen the fascinating research done by Dr Masaru Emoto on the vibrational effects of music and words on water crystals, look for ‘The Hidden Messages in Water’ and you will be amazed.
Two years ago I trained in an energy healing process that combines energy coming through my hands with different frequencies of sound made by my voice. Sometimes the sounds that come through are like heartfelt songs, other times they are like different languages. I also sing mantras as part of the process, which are words which have a specific effect on the body and energy field.
I love to teach my meditation students to chant simple mantras as many of them find it much easier to settle their busy minds when they are using their voices. We all really feel the energy build in the room when we sing a simple chant together and everyone notices the change in vibration in their bodies and hearts when the chant finishes and we rest in the silence that follows. I often close a meditation by playing my wind gong – people love to feel the vibrations of it moving through their body as the sound shimmers and swirls around them.
Sound and song are everyone’s birthright, so next time you are caught singing your heart out by the person in the next car, just give them a big smile and sing louder!
Louise Charman-James is a singer, sound healer, meditation teacher and wellbeing coach. She helps busy working mums to take care of themselves and do more of what they love without feeling guilty. Her business Soul Signature offers private Empowerment Sessions, meditation groups, sound healing events and mini-retreats.
Visit www.soulsignature.com.au for your free Sanity Saver Meditation.
Admit it. There you were, sitting in your car stuck in traffic when your favourite song came on the radio. Before you knew it, you were belting it out at the top of your lungs, drumming your fingers on the steering wheel and having a great time – until you noticed the person in the next car laughing at you.
So what’s their problem? Don’t they know that singing is one of the most effective ways to release stress? Plus it’s free, available 24/7 and has no toxic side-effects.
In traditional societies, singing and making sound is just part of the culture. Songs and music are often the sound track to daily activities and nobody feels that they ‘can’t sing’ or that they shouldn’t.
So why do we feel that singing in our Western culture is something that belongs to professional performers, and that if we are going to sing, we should be singing ‘well’ i.e. like a professional!?
As a singer and sound healer, I can testify to the healing power of making any type of sound, whether that’s a primal scream, a soothing tone like ‘mmm’ or ‘sshh’, or a beautiful, heart-opening song. Sound is a vibration which moves energy – it travels in waves and impacts all that it touches. Modern medicine uses powerful sound waves to scan the body and even break up kidney stones (ultrasound). The first sense to develop in foetuses is hearing and when we whisper ‘sshh’ to a baby, we are emulating the sounds it first heard within the womb.
We have all heard of the opera singer who shatters the wine glass when her voice reaches a certain pitch and resonance – this is because everything is vibrating at a specific frequency and when the singer’s voice matches the resonant frequency of the glass, it breaks.
So when you sing, let out a cry of pain or whisper ‘sshh’ to your baby, you are actually moving and changing energy. Singing an upbeat song can energise you, crooning a lullaby or toning a single note can calm you down. If you have never seen the fascinating research done by Dr Masaru Emoto on the vibrational effects of music and words on water crystals, look for ‘The Hidden Messages in Water’ and you will be amazed.
Two years ago I trained in an energy healing process that combines energy coming through my hands with different frequencies of sound made by my voice. Sometimes the sounds that come through are like heartfelt songs, other times they are like different languages. I also sing mantras as part of the process, which are words which have a specific effect on the body and energy field.
I love to teach my meditation students to chant simple mantras as many of them find it much easier to settle their busy minds when they are using their voices. We all really feel the energy build in the room when we sing a simple chant together and everyone notices the change in vibration in their bodies and hearts when the chant finishes and we rest in the silence that follows. I often close a meditation by playing my wind gong – people love to feel the vibrations of it moving through their body as the sound shimmers and swirls around them.
Sound and song are everyone’s birthright, so next time you are caught singing your heart out by the person in the next car, just give them a big smile and sing louder!
Louise Charman-James is a singer, sound healer, meditation teacher and wellbeing coach. She helps busy working mums to take care of themselves and do more of what they love without feeling guilty. Her business Soul Signature offers private Empowerment Sessions, meditation groups, sound healing events and mini-retreats.
Visit www.soulsignature.com.au for your free Sanity Saver Meditation.
Art is free flowing and enjoyable. Always surprising, always perfect, right? Well, not really. Art can be many things, and sometimes free flowing is the least it can be!
I, like so many others, have been hit by procrastination and writers block many times. For years I was struggling with my creativity and artistic talents. I couldn’t seem to get the flow going, I kept banging my head against the wall trying to think of something “good enough” to express. I was my own worst critic, and art felt rigid and stale. Everything I created felt regurgitated and more than anything, it felt painful. Needless to say, as I was struggling with my art, I was also struggling with my own demons.
I have been singing and performing since I was very young and started writing music in my teens to “get things out”. I was a real thinker as a teenager, way to mature for my age. On top of this, I was hanging around with people that had NO idea how to support my restless mind, or that could give answers to the big questions swirling around in my head. My family and friends did their best to support me but nothing seemed to satisfy or soothe my troubled mind.
So I started writing songs, pouring my heart out into my music. All the pain, all the questioning was dumped into my songs and lyrics. And in this way, music became my outlet and my salvation.
I know I’m not alone in using art for expressing pain, not even close. Still to this day, there are people using music and art as their dumping ground for all to see and feel. And sure, there’s been some good music and art coming out of this pain but overall, I think I can safely say that there’s been plenty more goodness coming out of a positive mind than a negative one.
So why is it that us artists seem to have the need to express so much pain into our art?
Why is it that we often honour people that focus on their negative aspects more than on their positive?
Why do we as a society seem to be encouraging pain?
If you’re expecting a really intricate and intelligent answer to these questions right now I’m sorry to disappoint you, I really think it’s pretty simple; The world, in general is focused on more pain than joy.
Our TV channels, News and Newspapers LOVE dwelling on what’s wrong with the world. They thrive on our suffering and know they will get higher ratings if they work on fear-mongering instead of focusing on what’s right with the world. We have gotten used to living in a world that is painted mostly dark, and so, the art follows.
Now, I’m not promoting people hiding their emotions, suppressing their pain and create “happy music”, far from it! Let’s face it, pain is part of life here on the planet and it has a huge role to play in our expansion. I’ll say it clearly: Expressing pain through art is OK, it’s how we execute it that matters.
Art in any form has the ability to influence people immensely and all emotions expressed through it can help both the artist, and the spectator, to reunite with their inner selves. Even negative emotions felt through the arts can assist in the healing process and help us to connect, or reconnect, from deep within in ways we haven’t been able to do in a very long time.
But, leaving your audience, and yourself, in this emotional pain-felt place will offer nothing but more of the same emotions to keep manifesting from within. If we are serious about wanting to make a real impact in peoples lives and in our world, we, as artists, need to offer MORE than just a snapshot of our misery, no matter how tempting it may seem.
We ALL have a choice in what energy we want to birth into the world, whether you consider yourself an artist or not. We all have the ability to decide what we want to focus our energy on and thereby manifest into our future reality. We have an option in how we feel, we don’t need to be slaves to our emotions unless we want to, and we do not need to allow negativity to run our lives. It’s all about focus.
When we make art that promotes transformation and help guide people out of the darkness, our talents are really showing their importance in this world. When our intention is to offer a new view instead of merely a picture of our pain, we create a whole new dimension to our art, and a whole new dimension of ourselves reveals itself too! By consciously aiming to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel every time we create, we are opening up to an endless supply of creativity from within.
I believe that happiness can be discovered in the darkest of times, as long as we remember to switch the light on. When making music and art with this idea in mind, pain and hurt can all of a sudden transform into beauty, depth and profound knowledge. When our goal is to “inspire” instead of “dwell on”, art will flourish and can take you to unimaginable heights!
So, do you feel creatively free flowing? Do you leave your listeners or viewers in the gutter or are you offering them a new way to look at life? Do you allow time to work on yourself and understand the value of your own wellbeing as a creative soul?
I can assure you, making these changes in your approach to creativity is not as hard as it might seam, it’s a matter of focus. I have had to learn all of this by trial and error and it took me a while to really “get it”, but what I’ve learned is invaluable:
“If you want to change anything in your life, or in anyone else’s, you’ve got to focus on the solution, not the problem. You have to choose to nurture yourself and let go of high expectations and ALWAYS put your health before everything else.”
No matter how egotistical this may seem, believe me when I say that in order to be great at anything or to help anyone, we MUST begin with ourselves. Investing in our own wellbeing is ESSENTIAL if we want to be able to create amazing pieces of art or music that stands the test of time.
Your creative juices will be pouring out of you like never before when you really get this and choose to deepen your relationship with yourself, and through that, your artist inside. You will be able to express yourself in ways like never before because you will be connected to the true source of inspiration. Never before will writers block be an obstacle because you will KNOW that the thing stopping you to create is only an illusion of your mind.
If you are interested in going deeper down the rabbit hole and start to really connect with your creative Master from within, please join me at one of the Creativity workshops at the next Embrace Life Live Life Festival. Let’s start a revolution in Transformative Art and Music and Inspire long-lasting positive changes in people’s lives together!
Madelaine Vallin is a Singer/ Songwriter, an Author, a Meditation Facilitator and a Certified Master in MindPT.
MindPT, or Mind Power Technology, is a Personal Trainer for the Mind in the form of an App that literally takes the work out of self-work. Based on the latest findings in Neuroscience and Positive Psychology, this tool is set to revolutionise the self-development world for it’s effective, fast and long-lasting results.
All sessions on the MindPT App are catered for a specific need to help you diffuse old patterns and though habits in that area of your life. Shawn Achor, Bob Proctor and Paul Scheele are just a few teachers and best selling authors using this new self-help tool to assist their clients in creating positive change in peoples lives.
Check out this short video:
If you would like to try this new self-development tool for yourself and help end negative self-talk forever, please sign up for Madelaine’s Newsletter and receive a complimentary copy of her session “Mad About Life” on the new MindPT App (valued at $47), by clicking here.
For more information about Madelaine, please visit www.madelainevallin.com
Naomi Nonu-Carling is joining us at the upcoming Sutherland Embrace Life Festival on Sunday 28 June with an introductory workshop “Open to Channel” at 2pm; in this article she shares with some key points on Channeling and how you can bring this into your daily practice.
Channeling is the natural process of communication between a human “channel” and their Higher Self, Angelic Beings, Star Beings, Ascended Masters, Gods or Goddesses and deceased loved ones. Channeling can also include communication with elemental beings such as tree spirits, forest spirits, water devas, animals and other multi-dimensional and spiritual entities.
A channel is much like a translator. They use a process to tune-in to higher frequencies and then interpret these frequencies into messages. This is done with language, sound and through other artistic outlets. Contrary to old beliefs, channeling does not require an entity to ‘take over’ a channel’s body or mind. It simply requires some focus and practice to become a clear channel.
A trained and experienced Channel is able to discern between different energy streams and decide whether they have an uplifting, positive agenda or if they have a lower frequency. A process of invocation quickly opens access to higher dimensional beings.
I have been channeling for 6 years for groups, clients and my own spiritual growth. It’s enormously helpful if I’m facing a challenge or problem, if I’m at a crossroads, or if I’d like a higher, more insightful view of what is happening for humanity. After channeling I feel calmer, lighter in mood, more joyful and reassured. I can also discover solutions where I couldn’t see them before. I learned during my channeling training in 2009 that I had been channeling guidance less formally from Angelic beings and Ascended Masters such as Jesus and Mother Mary for myself and others. This began since a major spiritual awakening in 2000.
Beings beyond the 3rd dimension are very willing to support us and give guidance to bring us more into alignment with our true purpose, loving forgiveness and to assist in raising the vibration on Earth.
Sometimes the path to becoming a channel comes after an ‘awakening’ or spiritual experience that opens perception (the third eye) beyond the physical, third dimension. To access higher dimensions, there are many methods, however meditation is the easiest pathway. Simply experiencing channeling can provide an opportunity to access beyond the third, fourth, fifth and sixth dimensions. My favourite, inspiring channeled entities were Abraham-Hicks, Bashar, the Z’s (through channel Lee Harris) and the Pleiadians (through my teacher Solara An-ra).
If channeling interests you, you may be being guided to take your spiritual journey further and learn this tool for yourself.
Everyone can channel and becoming a channel is a simple process. If you feel drawn to channeling, you will benefit from a framework to do this, however mostly the process requires trust, opening and focus. Entering into an expanded state of consciousness is key and there are many teachers and books that can provide avenues to doing this easily. One such book which has helped me was Opening to Channel by Orin and DaBen.
Below is a video that Naomi made a few years ago for students who are interested in advancing their spiritual abilities by becoming a channel, which may give you a sense about channelling.
Here is part 2 of the Meet the Experts interview, by Valentina Mathias from Balance Begins with Me with Founder of Embrace Life Festivals and Gratitude Online, Deborah Shepherd, sharing a little of her personal story and what she does to bring balance and self care into her life.
Valentina Mathias from Balance Begins with Me, takes time to chat with the founder of Embrace Life Festivals and Gratitude Online, Deborah Shepherd. The interview touches on the underlying philosophies of the local based festivals and the intent of the Gratitude Online platform, while sharing some tips on what you can do if you are looking to step out and create the life you want.
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around” ~ Willie Nelson
Welcome to Day 7 of our Gratitude Experience.
Today is our final day of the 7 Day experience, what a week! some of you have fully immersed yourselves and will be taking a few more days to get through the content provided, some have struggled to find the time to reflect and have enjoyed the images shared and others have given us some amazing feedback, with the daily meditations touching them deeply.
Throughout the 7 days, we recommended you to:
- Use a journal for your thoughts, reflections and to capture any inspiration or ideas; what a wonderful way to hold all of this learning in one place to refer and to acknowledge, and trust you will continue to allow yourself this beautiful self expression;
- Commit to a meditative practice, we hope you have found this self care tool supportive and recommend you find a way to incorporate every day; a few moments each day will do wonders; and
- Open your heart and mind to enjoy the experience and be willing to allow what arises, we trust that this occurred and understand that nothing was ever right or wrong with this experience, it was your “gift” to do with whatever felt right for you.
If you would still like to share your thoughts and comments, we welcome this on our Facebook page. And remember if you would like to connect to anyone in our Embrace Life community, check out out our members directory or visit us at one of our upcoming festivals within in your local area.
Today’s affirmation: ” I value my uniqueness and rejoice in it”
You may want to reflect on this affirmation, and set the intention to bring into your meditation.
Remember that the use of an affirmation can assist you when your mind drifts in a meditation, so if you feel you drifting off and becoming aware of your busy mind, then come back the affirmation. It also is a wonderful way to keep focussed throughout the day.
Your Daily Meditation
Now, take a few moments to look at the image we have captured today, what does this image reflect for you? Look at the colours, the vibrancy and within the simplicity there is such beauty.
This flower represents the beauty within you, and how unique you are with all your gifts and blessings.
To honour this within ourselves is so important, when we can fall into a comparison game, self judgement or impatience and not allowing your time to bloom.
(Remember to capture your thoughts in your journal)
Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on the image, breathe it in, connect to the simplicity of the flower and with each breath, bring in what you are grateful for and if need on your breath out, the letting go.
And what about the quote :“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around”, what blessings can you capture that you have in your life, right now?
Some further questions to ponder today:
- Do you ever fall into the trap of comparing your achievements to others?
- Every season, has its time; what season are you in now? and how is that playing out?
- What 10 things can you see within yourself, your unique talents and blessings, and how will you acknowledge them today?
Thank You’s
We want to thank you all for spending the last 7 days with us, we hope you enjoyed the experience and invite you to keep in contact through our newsletters, future experiences and to come along to our Embrace Life festivals.
A big “thank you” goes to Rachel Luongo from BInspired Images who provided you the most wonderful images, and is one of our amazing creatives within the Embrace Life community, we are blessed to have her on the team!
We wanted to finish on a high, so decided to include this short videoclip of a song called “Grateful”, for spending the last week together we are truly grateful and you all are amazing!
Musicians Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod brought together dozens of people from around the world to create this beautiful, heart-opening melody. Inspired by the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge, the song is a celebration of our spirit and all that is a blessing in life.
For the 21 Days, over 11,000 participants from 118 countries learned that “gratefulness” is a habit cultivated consciously and a muscle built over time. As a famous Roman, Cicero, once said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
This soul-stirring music video, created within a week by a team of volunteers, shines the light on all the small things that make up the beautiful fabric of our lives.