It is time to let go of your preconceived ideas of how things should be now, of how people should be, of how you should be, and just simply be. Accept who you are, accept others for who they are, accept that you are all human and you are all on a steep learning curve.

You rise, you fall, and you learn, you forget, you are strong, you weaken a little. Do you not know that this is all a part of the game of lie? It just is. Moment by moment, day by day, your life evolves. It is not static; it is not one straight line that you follow unerringly and without question, without at times becoming distracted, thrown off course. You trip and fall sometimes and then you get back up and begin again, a little wiser for the experience.

If you lose the notion of perfection and instead accept the perfection in the experiences that have and will continue to shape you, you will enjoy a much richer experience of life.

When others fall on their journey, do you leave them there, or do you step in to support them to rise again? Then why do you not do this for yourself? Why do you fight yourself every step of the way – berating yourself, feeling guilty or angry with yourself if you make a ‘mistake’? Have the grace to give the best of yourself to yourself as you do for others.

Take off the self-imposed pressure, release the self-imposed chains that bind you and accept that you are doing the best you can do in your current circumstances and that in this moment it is enough.

Most of all renew your faith that all is well although on the surface it may not appear to be so. When you look back on your current situation with the benefit of hindsight you will understand the hidden gifts. For now, simply accept that you are doing the best you can and let go of all expectation and replace it with hope, faith and trust and allow yourself to be guided.

As you progress on your journey of life, you experience a whole gamut of emotions, at times a rollercoaster ride. When you choose to let go of all of the self- and other- imposed restrictions on your expression of self you begin to realise that you and only you are responsible for how you feel in any given moment.

It is a moment by moment choice, a moment by moment experience, a moment by moment opportunity. Your conscious awareness of how you are feeling and reacting or responding to each situation is paramount because through that response you are creating your reality, moment by moment.

When you are challenged, when you are hurt, when you are unsure or simply tired of the same old game, allow yourself to acknowledge the feeling. Name it, claim it and then choose to let it go. Let it fly away ready to welcome the next moment of awareness. If the feeling weighs heavily on you, ask yourself “What can I do to make myself feel better?” The answer may be simple or it may require a little planning. Either way, it will occupy your logical mind and provide a constructive outlet for the emotion that seeks to engulf you.

Know yourself and your needs. What does make you feel better? Do you need quiet time alone for reflection or do you need to talk it out? Do you need physical exercise or activities to release pent-up emotions? Ask yourself again “What do I need?” Accepting where you are now in this moment and acknowledging the feelings is the first step and the next step is letting it go through whatever means suits you and your circumstances. Take yourself mentally and physically if possible to a place where you can begin to feel better and ask for what you need.

You are where you are now, but every moment is fleeting and every moment will pass ready for the next moment. Nothing is permanent, this is a given. What can you do now to accept, experience and release this moment ready for the next?

Reach out for help or companionship when you need it, accept what is given with gratitude for this too is a gift for both the giver and the receiver.

There may be times when help is not available right in that moment and you may need to traverse that part of the journey alone. At times like these you must remember you are never alone and that your own team of spiritual helpers gather closer around you – ask for the help and look for the signs that you have been heard. Ask for signs that you will recognise to fortify your strength and your faith that behind the scenes all is as it should be and your wishes are being granted – in divine timing and for your highest good.

Every time you move from being engulfed by your emotions to being consciously aware of them, you are making momentous strides in your spiritual growth, although you may not be aware of it. And as you expand your energy, you also expand your powers of creation and manifestation.

Take heart. If you are open to it, you will be guided every step of the way.

Surrender to the will of God, the will of your higher self. Surrender to the river of life, allow the heart to bloom and surrender the walls within to God. Trust that you are safe.

Allow that which no longer serves you to flow away to usher in the new. Beauty awaits you in all its aspects. Take the time to go within and find your innermost being. Your soul is calling.

All resides within your heart, the key is there. Go within to open the door.

Release the tender bonds that hold you tight and allow the natural rhythm and flow of life. You are safe. All is well. Trust your inner knowing. Go deep within without fear. The answers are there. You are safe, your guardian angels and your guides are with you all the way.

As the new year with its new opportunities unfolds, are you ready to finally shed the mantle of responsibility, acceptability, respectability, lovability and simply allow yourself to be yourself in all your glory, unadulterated by the expectations and judgements of others?

Prepare for the year ahead by asking yourself, “Who am I truly?” “Whose truth am I speaking?” Get to know yourself as yourself, not by the personality you show to others.  When you know who you are – perfectly imperfect and unique – make the commitment this year to be yourself courageously and be willing to release the need for approval from others or from feeling responsible to carry other people’s burdens.

Be prepared to gently let go of people and situations that do not support you to make way for those that do.

Refuse to be a pawn in anyone else’s games – it does not serve you nor them. Withdraw your emotional energy from other people’s dramas, refuse to accept their opinions of you, their criticism or emotional blackmail for you to behave, dress, live, work in a certain way.

Become consciously aware in every moment of your old programming, ask yourself why then choose to respond rather than react. The universal energies are supporting us all in this process now and karmic bonds are surfacing to be finalised. Timelines of past events are collapsing and you may find it difficult to remember events in sequence because everything’s shifting to make way for new opportunities for you to make new choices and create your new reality. Don’t fight it – simply go with it. If your brain can’t process it, run with the feelings. You can call on your willing team of spirit guides, guardians and helpers to assist you to do this, but prepare to be tested in your commitment to your own highest good until you truly believe you are good enough, strong enough, beautiful enough exactly as you are and that you are not responsible for other people’s dramas or their choices.

The process can be uncomfortable, challenging and as the past melts away, it can be quite taxing on your energy. Just move with it, follow what your body tells you to do. If you’re tired, rest. Your tastes in food may change, you may experience sudden aches and pains and bloating, sudden temporary weight gain or loss. There may be strange dreams. It can take time for the body to catch up with your shifting energy and you will have to deal with the emotions that at times take you completely by surprise, if only to acknowledge them as they surface and then just let them go. Try not to hold on to them, they belong to the past, but be aware of the little insights that arise for you.

Although consciously you may know what you need to let go of, and may be completely willing to do so, your feelings will still have to be felt. It can feel a bit like grieving, that’s what the process of letting go is like. There’ll quite likely be nostalgia, there may be denial, confusion, guilt, sadness, anger, a sense of loss, of regret – you may feel angry with yourself for not making changes earlier – but although it’s not easy it’s important to acknowledge that all you have experienced has been to teach you what you needed to learn. And remember that it wasn’t all bad. In time as you remember the challenges, you’ll be just as easily able to remember the good times too and be grateful for what each situation brought you.  Just accept that it was what it was and now you can choose differently.

When you shed the layers of other people’s expectations – and your own sense of responsibility for others, you will feel lighter and more motivated to achieve your own goals, you may even set new ones. When you are comfortable with who you are, others will be comfortable too. When you accept yourself, others accept you too. When you respect yourself, others will respect you. When you love yourself unconditionally, others will love you too. You will find that people who are not able to accept the new (the real) you will simply drift out of your life to make way for new people to enter.

Underneath all those layers of conditioning is your own golden essence of light.  Simply choose to be unashamedly and uniquely you and shine your light from deep within so that your kindred spirits can find you – they will be the ones who love and support you exactly as you are with no expectations. Imagine how free you will feel when you no longer have to worry about what people think of you – when you can simply just be yourself and set yourself free to live the life you choose for yourself.

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Everyone has their own unique story to tell. I’ve been privileged in recent times to meet many new people from wide ranging backgrounds and walks of life. Through these interactions, I’ve been reflecting on how until you begin to speak with someone you really have no idea of their story.

Each of us finds our voice in different ways. For some it’s through singing or playing an instrument, for some through writing stories or poetry. For others it’s expressed in arts and craft, acting in a play, or dance. And there are those who choose to join public speaking clubs or volunteer to MC or host an event. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you enjoy it. Each outlet or activity is a means of expressing your innermost self, a way of allowing yourself to be seen and heard.

Then there are those who quietly go about their days gently offering kind words of support or encouragement to others who need it. For some it means plucking up the courage to simply say “no” or to ask for what they want.

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When your truth is expressed from the heart, even if you’re finally taking the plunge and standing up for yourself, your words or your actions will be expressed graciously, with respect. If you do not feel brave enough to tell your truth, you can pray or ask for help to find the right words at the right time. You will receive an answer if you are willing to open your heart to hear.

Whatever it is for you and however you express it, your soul longs to be heard. When you do find your inner voice, it comes from the heart – openly, authentically, joyfully, unconditionally and in each moment when you express your true self there is a message meant for someone, a message of hope, of joy, of love.

There are times when I am called upon to write a post ‘right now, in this moment’. Those are the times I know someone needs to hear the words that are given to me on that day, so please feel free to share them.

Your voice deserves to be heard, you have a special message to share and you are here for a reason, you are here to shine your light.

Season’s Greetings! My wish for you is that the Christmas season is a time of great joy and peace.

As for myself, the frenzy of Christmas hype has given me cause for reflection and I’ve been pondering what it means for so many people nowadays. I’ve been an observer of the mad last minute rush to do the obligatory shopping, spending money that lots really can’t afford, parents feeling the pressure to give gifts that will break the budget but are expected because other people’s kids will be getting whatever is the latest craze. And worse still for the parents that can’t afford the food, let alone gifts for their kids. For the parents who have lost children, it’s a tough time. It’s not an easy time either for the shop assistants who are often on the receiving end of people’s stress. Just this week I witnessed lots of angry, impatient, agitated people without, it seemed, much Christmas spirit. Even those people I heard say “Merry Christmas” appeared to say it because it was expected of them, not from heartfelt sincerity. I’ve ventured out into the traffic to the tune of horns tooting and impatient drivers taking risks so they can get a car park in the overcrowded shopping centres and I wonder why we do this. I wonder if it has always been this way and I just never noticed before, or have we lost the magic?

Traditionally the reason we have Christmas celebrations is to commemorate the birth of Christ, one of the master prophets sent to us to bring the message of peace, love and joy. I have realised now that if I want to connect with Christ consciousness, I can do it any day of the year, not just on 25th December. We put so much expectation on that one day a year and instead of honouring the real spirit of Christmas, it becomes a source of stress. No doubt for the fortunate people who will be spending the day with loved ones, sharing the feast it’s an opportunity to get together to spend quality time together, it’s a fun day. However, it can also bring up unresolved differences and ‘baggage’ from the past and so it can be challenging for some because we all so much want the ‘chocolate box’ family that we think everyone else has and disappointment sets in when we realise it’s not going to be that way. And what about the people we only communicate with at Christmas? Should we be making more effort to keep in touch throughout the year?

I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones. I have food for the table, good friends and my partner to share it with, family to phone, and gifts to share, but this won’t be the case for so many others and my heart goes out to them. It can be the toughest, loneliest time for some because it highlights the contrasts between the haves and the have-nots. It intensifies the feelings of grief and loss.

Perhaps Christmas for you is a time to take a break, have some ‘down time’, to get away from the daily routine and make some plans for the future. If you take a step back, keep it simple, reflect and do what you want to do at Christmas, rather than what you think is expected of you, it could alleviate so much stress and pressure.

I wonder what would happen if we all embraced the Christmas spirit every day. If instead of rushing to the shops and maxing out the credit card for that one day a year, we lived that spirit of kindness and caring, of peace and harmony, forgiveness love and joy every day in all of our actions and interactions. Our world would be a very different place.

This Christmas, if you’re one of the lucky ones, it will be wonderful if you can spare a thought or consider sending a prayer to others less fortunate and if you get the opportunity to show some kindness, it’ll be the greatest gift for you and for the receiver.

However you’re spending this time, from the bottom of my heart I wish you the blessings of peace, harmony, love, joy, good health and abundance throughout the festive season and throughout every day of the coming year. May peace be with you.

Merry Christmas.

What is the difference between happiness and joy?

It’s easily confused, but happiness is a momentary experience, something felt when we receive good news or something nice is said or done for us. It’s lovely, no doubt, but it doesn’t last long and is quickly replaced by another emotion.

Joy on the other hand comes from deep inside. It’s a sense of contentment, of peace, of knowing that all is well even though outward appearances may not appear to be so. Joy is lasting, it’s a state of being rather than a fleeting emotion. So why not ask yourself when you last felt happiness and when you felt joyful.

The key to finding your joy is always within you – when you feel at peace, when you get lost in the moment, when you are doing something that fulfils you and you lose track of time. Commit to yourself now to do the things that bring you joy.

Be kind to yourself and take a moderate, balanced approach to life. Self-denial is not the answer, nor is frivolous extravagance. Find the equilibrium and allow it to gently balance from side to side as circumstances and needs change.

It is simple. Practice self-love, take care of your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, persist and perservere through the challenges, do what needs to be done and balance it with moments of fun and joy and of course your spiritual connection. You will find your life becomes so much easier.

The gaining of internal strength and wisdom comes through traversing the dark night of the soul, the retreat into the depths of your being – soul-searching – taking one step after another through that dark tunnel of no-man’s land hoping to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Through this process you gain an intimate understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses. As you stumble and fall you gather the strength to pick your self up and take another step, not really knowing where it will lead you.

At the end of that dark tunnel, the light is waiting. The wheel of fortune turns slowly towards the dawn and new beginnings and you are ready to move on with a better understanding of who you really are.