It's week eight of Alphabe-Thursday!
H is for Heart...
I believe the truth of who we are resides in our hearts. The heart is the home of our dreams and desires, our love and our passions. It is our heart that can offer us guidance when needed.
The heart chakra is the beautiful middle ground between our upper and lower chakras. It is the centre where we integrate the energies of both our physical being and our spiritual being. It is the site of unity. Our heart is where we can tap into our soul, our divine spark within, and connect to all that is. When we live from our hearts we can feel at one with others and our planet. We are no longer alone.
Opening our heart can bring us an abundance of love and joy. Our heart is our feeling centre. It is where we experience the magnitude of human emotions. The heart has its own rhythm and it is one bursting with positive, sensual, vibration. Allowing our hearts to guide us can bring us everything we desire.
Most of us are slaves to our brain - those endless thoughts that run through our mind, the stress that second guessing brings, the worry and fear that overloads us at times. Our brains have their place in our life, sure, but the most joyful, carefree, happy people in the world have learnt to make their brain work for them and not the other way around.
Have you ever been wrestling with a decision and asked your heart for the answer instead of your brain? Try it! Once I began to ask my heart for direction I felt a weightlessness come over me. Things started to become easier as my intuition awoke. I found my heart was able to answer me through my feelings. When I gave my heart the chance to speak up, my brain was automatically silenced. Only when I had my answer did my brain start talking again - and then it was to give me notes on how to make my heart's dreams come true.
Your heart holds your deepest desires and your divine essence. Trust in your heart's wisdom. It knows the best way forward for you. Just give it the attention it deserves. Love your heart and all of life's joy and wonder will be yours.
Thursday, 10 January 2013
Thursday, 3 January 2013
G is for Grace
It's week seven of Alphabe-Thursday!
G is for Grace...
I've always liked Deepak Chopra's definition of grace - "the effortless flow of existence that comes when you are living in harmony with life, when the rhythms of your body-mind are in synch with nature's rhythms."
Have you ever experienced synchronicity - those coincidental moments where something you've been searching for miraculous presents itself, when all your desires are fulfilled, when everything just effortlessly falls into place?
That's grace.
I consider myself to be living in a state of grace when my life is full of harmonious blessings. At these times I am overflowing with carefree optimism - no dream or desire is out of reach. Grace brings profound happiness and joy into my world.
I see grace as living in alignment with my divine, spiritual nature. I believe God is love and this love resides within us all. The divine spark of love present in every human being is the same divine spark that exists in all life. Life itself is the creative power of the universe. Life and love are the two forces that bind us all together.
When we awaken to the flow of life energy and begin to appreciate our own divinity we can not help but live in grace. We become one with all and our movements synchronise with the dance of life happening all around us. This is when effortlessness takes over and we stop fighting so hard. We learn to 'go with the flow' and let things happen naturally.
Surrendering to the power of life's destiny can be hard at times. We long for something to happen in our lives and we push, and push, and push, until we wear ourselves out. But life doesn't have to be this difficult. Acknowledge that timing is everything, and that we can't force life to bend to our whims. Instead we must harmonise with life and trust that our destinies will be fulfilled. As long as we follow our inner, spiritual guidance.
The divine spark within knows what's best for us. All we need do is listen to it, trust in its wisdom, and let the rhythm of grace carry us forward.
G is for Grace...
I've always liked Deepak Chopra's definition of grace - "the effortless flow of existence that comes when you are living in harmony with life, when the rhythms of your body-mind are in synch with nature's rhythms."
Have you ever experienced synchronicity - those coincidental moments where something you've been searching for miraculous presents itself, when all your desires are fulfilled, when everything just effortlessly falls into place?
That's grace.
I consider myself to be living in a state of grace when my life is full of harmonious blessings. At these times I am overflowing with carefree optimism - no dream or desire is out of reach. Grace brings profound happiness and joy into my world.
I see grace as living in alignment with my divine, spiritual nature. I believe God is love and this love resides within us all. The divine spark of love present in every human being is the same divine spark that exists in all life. Life itself is the creative power of the universe. Life and love are the two forces that bind us all together.
When we awaken to the flow of life energy and begin to appreciate our own divinity we can not help but live in grace. We become one with all and our movements synchronise with the dance of life happening all around us. This is when effortlessness takes over and we stop fighting so hard. We learn to 'go with the flow' and let things happen naturally.
Surrendering to the power of life's destiny can be hard at times. We long for something to happen in our lives and we push, and push, and push, until we wear ourselves out. But life doesn't have to be this difficult. Acknowledge that timing is everything, and that we can't force life to bend to our whims. Instead we must harmonise with life and trust that our destinies will be fulfilled. As long as we follow our inner, spiritual guidance.
The divine spark within knows what's best for us. All we need do is listen to it, trust in its wisdom, and let the rhythm of grace carry us forward.
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
3 Reading Challenges for 2013
Happy New Year! :-)
My new year's resolution is to get off my iPhone and get back into my reading. :-) Before the internet and smartphones I would always have my head stuck in a book. I miss that! Of course I still read a lot of books but in 2013 I'm making it a top priority!
There's no better way to do that than signing up for some reading challenges. And there is no point doing this halfheartedly. So I'm going to sign up to not one but three challenges. :-)
They are -
2013 Australian Women Writers Challenge
In 2012 I only found out about the AWW Challenge halfway through the year. In six months I managed to read six books written by Australian women and I really enjoyed them! So this year I'm signing up in January to get a whole year's worth of reading in! :-)
I love this challenge as it allows me to support my fellow Australian women writers.
This time I have set my own challenge level. Which is - to read and review 12 books in 2013. I will be reading a mix of genres. Books to be chosen as I go along.
2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge
This challenge is hosted by the wonderful Shelleyrae at Book'd Out. She's asking readers to go outside their comfort zone and read 12 books from 12 different categories. I like this one as it will get me to read genres I wouldn't normally.
The categories are -
1. Translated Fiction
2. Historical Mystery
3. Romantic Suspense
4. Made into a Movie
5. New Adult
6. Urban Fantasy
7. Dystopian
8. Memoir
9. LGBT
10. Action Adventure
11. Humour
12. Published in 2013
Books for the Eclectic Reader challenge can be read in any order. I'll choose the books as I go along.
2013 Book to Movie Challenge
This challenge is hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey. This is a great challenge for me as it allows me to combine my love of reading with my love of watching movies! Yay! :-)
For this challenge I'll sign up for the Movie Devotee level, which is to read 6 books and watch their movies. As I've already watched a lot of movies that were once books, I decided to choose six books/films for this challenge that are all totally new to me. I have neither read the book nor seen the movie before.
Here are the six books/films I'll be reading, watching and reviewing for this challenge (in no particular order) -
Never Let Me Go
The Prestige
Winter's Bone
Lolita
Sophie's Choice
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
I will be posting my reviews for this challenge over on my movie blog Back to the Film.
So there you have it. 3 reading challenges for 2013. I'm excited! :-)
If a specific book fits into more than one of my reading challenges, I will be combining them.
I'll be posting my reviews as I write them. Stay tuned...
My new year's resolution is to get off my iPhone and get back into my reading. :-) Before the internet and smartphones I would always have my head stuck in a book. I miss that! Of course I still read a lot of books but in 2013 I'm making it a top priority!
There's no better way to do that than signing up for some reading challenges. And there is no point doing this halfheartedly. So I'm going to sign up to not one but three challenges. :-)
They are -
2013 Australian Women Writers Challenge
In 2012 I only found out about the AWW Challenge halfway through the year. In six months I managed to read six books written by Australian women and I really enjoyed them! So this year I'm signing up in January to get a whole year's worth of reading in! :-)
I love this challenge as it allows me to support my fellow Australian women writers.
This time I have set my own challenge level. Which is - to read and review 12 books in 2013. I will be reading a mix of genres. Books to be chosen as I go along.
2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge
This challenge is hosted by the wonderful Shelleyrae at Book'd Out. She's asking readers to go outside their comfort zone and read 12 books from 12 different categories. I like this one as it will get me to read genres I wouldn't normally.
The categories are -
1. Translated Fiction
2. Historical Mystery
3. Romantic Suspense
4. Made into a Movie
5. New Adult
6. Urban Fantasy
7. Dystopian
8. Memoir
9. LGBT
10. Action Adventure
11. Humour
12. Published in 2013
Books for the Eclectic Reader challenge can be read in any order. I'll choose the books as I go along.
2013 Book to Movie Challenge
This challenge is hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey. This is a great challenge for me as it allows me to combine my love of reading with my love of watching movies! Yay! :-)
For this challenge I'll sign up for the Movie Devotee level, which is to read 6 books and watch their movies. As I've already watched a lot of movies that were once books, I decided to choose six books/films for this challenge that are all totally new to me. I have neither read the book nor seen the movie before.
Here are the six books/films I'll be reading, watching and reviewing for this challenge (in no particular order) -
Never Let Me Go
The Prestige
Winter's Bone
Lolita
Sophie's Choice
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
I will be posting my reviews for this challenge over on my movie blog Back to the Film.
So there you have it. 3 reading challenges for 2013. I'm excited! :-)
If a specific book fits into more than one of my reading challenges, I will be combining them.
I'll be posting my reviews as I write them. Stay tuned...
Saturday, 29 December 2012
AWW2012 Challenge Completed!
I did it! I completed my Australian Women Writers 2012 Challenge by reading and reviewing six books since July this year.
I read two contemporary fiction, two historical fiction, and two YA novels. They were:
The Light Between Oceans by M.L Stedman
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
My reviews can be read here.
I'm definitely signing up for the 2013 Challenge!! :-)
I read two contemporary fiction, two historical fiction, and two YA novels. They were:
The Light Between Oceans by M.L Stedman
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
My reviews can be read here.
I'm definitely signing up for the 2013 Challenge!! :-)
Book Review: The Secret River by Kate Grenville
'London, 1806 - William Thornhill, happily wedded to his childhood
sweetheart Sal, is a waterman on the River Thames.
Life is tough but bearable until William makes a mistake, a bad mistake for which he and his family are made to pay dearly.
His sentence: to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life.
Soon Thornhill, a man no better or worse than most, has to make the most difficult decision of his life . . .
The Secret River is a universal and timeless story of love, identity and belonging.'
Historical novel The Secret River was the sixth book I read as part of the AWW2012 Challenge. This was the first time I read a book by Kate Grenville and I must say that while she writes very descriptive prose, I did find myself struggling to get used to her style of writing. At times the descriptions were a little too detailed and abstract for me, but eventually I came to like her use of words.
As I currently live in London and love history I was drawn to the beginning of the novel which told of William and Sal's life in late-eighteenth century London. I enjoyed imagining what the city would have looked like then and I think Grenville did a wonderful job in painting an accurate historical picture. I even learnt a thing or two about old London and the Thames!
Once William and Sal are sent to Sydney I felt the story started to drag a bit. While I am certainly interested in early colonial Australia, and having lived in Sydney I like picturing how the harbour and settlement looked at that time, I wasn't as captivated by William's story at this point. I suppose I was desperate for something to happen. Which it surely does as the story continues on.
Once William begins to interact with the Aboriginal people the story took a very dark turn. This novel does a great job at highlighting the awful treatment the Indigenous Australians received from the British settlers. In fact, Grenville is so thorough and descriptive that it is all a bit too much to take at times. Even though this is a fictional story it is based on fact and it is hard to be reminded of such a dark part of our history. Knowing the Indigenous Australians were subjected to terrible cruelty makes me very sad.
It is that reason alone that I can not say I loved this novel. While Kate Grenville is a very talented writer and the story is perfectly executed, the subject was hard to take. I will remember this novel for a long time - mainly because it shocked me. Which is probably just what Grenville was trying to achieve. She has definitely brought some evils of Australian history out into the light and created a very thought-provoking book. In that respect it's a success!
Life is tough but bearable until William makes a mistake, a bad mistake for which he and his family are made to pay dearly.
His sentence: to be transported to New South Wales for the term of his natural life.
Soon Thornhill, a man no better or worse than most, has to make the most difficult decision of his life . . .
The Secret River is a universal and timeless story of love, identity and belonging.'
Historical novel The Secret River was the sixth book I read as part of the AWW2012 Challenge. This was the first time I read a book by Kate Grenville and I must say that while she writes very descriptive prose, I did find myself struggling to get used to her style of writing. At times the descriptions were a little too detailed and abstract for me, but eventually I came to like her use of words.
As I currently live in London and love history I was drawn to the beginning of the novel which told of William and Sal's life in late-eighteenth century London. I enjoyed imagining what the city would have looked like then and I think Grenville did a wonderful job in painting an accurate historical picture. I even learnt a thing or two about old London and the Thames!
Once William and Sal are sent to Sydney I felt the story started to drag a bit. While I am certainly interested in early colonial Australia, and having lived in Sydney I like picturing how the harbour and settlement looked at that time, I wasn't as captivated by William's story at this point. I suppose I was desperate for something to happen. Which it surely does as the story continues on.
Once William begins to interact with the Aboriginal people the story took a very dark turn. This novel does a great job at highlighting the awful treatment the Indigenous Australians received from the British settlers. In fact, Grenville is so thorough and descriptive that it is all a bit too much to take at times. Even though this is a fictional story it is based on fact and it is hard to be reminded of such a dark part of our history. Knowing the Indigenous Australians were subjected to terrible cruelty makes me very sad.
It is that reason alone that I can not say I loved this novel. While Kate Grenville is a very talented writer and the story is perfectly executed, the subject was hard to take. I will remember this novel for a long time - mainly because it shocked me. Which is probably just what Grenville was trying to achieve. She has definitely brought some evils of Australian history out into the light and created a very thought-provoking book. In that respect it's a success!
Thursday, 27 December 2012
F is for Freedom
It's week six of Alphabe-Thursday!
F is for Freedom...
We all long for freedom and it's a desire that comes in many forms. Some seek freedom from responsibility, or freedom from injustice, freedom from financial hardship, or freedom from fear. But no matter which form we seek or however our individual journeys come about, one thing is shared by all of us - we're searching for freedom in the wrong place!
My own search for freedom led me to the writer's life, it sent me off to travel the world and, I admit, it has often made me shy away from responsibility. I've spent a lot of time and effort seeking a life that reflects the deep-seated sense of freedom I so wish for. And it's not to say I don't have freedom in my life - I most certainly do and it is something I am very grateful for. But what I've learnt along the way is that no external object, place or lifestyle can ever make us feel free. Because freedom comes from within.
The freedom we find in our external environment, the one we work so hard to cultivate and hold on to is a fleeting kind of freedom. It feels great for a while, but eventually the shine starts to fade and we discover that old longing resurfacing once more. We get restless. We begin to imagine a new circumstance that might grant us this elusive freedom. We set a neverending cycle in motion.
We seek to be free because our inner lives are in turmoil. When we're overcome by fear and tension, self-doubt and negativity, we long to free ourselves from the pain. But when we look for this freedom out in the world, rather than within, we are ignoring the real issues that bubble away inside us. And any act becomes futile.
Real, lasting, freedom is actually a state of mind. It is a choice we must make - to develop an inner peace that will forever accompany us through life, no matter what is thrown at us. In its truest sense being free is all about how we feel inside.
I've found that I am free when I look within for the answers, when I choose to not let outside restrictions define me. I am free when I allow myself to be happy, when I choose to let joy be the driving force in my life.
When we focus on cultivating our inner world, our outer lives reflects this. So choose to feel free and you'll never need to search for it again. Choose freedom and it will appear everywhere you look!
F is for Freedom...
We all long for freedom and it's a desire that comes in many forms. Some seek freedom from responsibility, or freedom from injustice, freedom from financial hardship, or freedom from fear. But no matter which form we seek or however our individual journeys come about, one thing is shared by all of us - we're searching for freedom in the wrong place!
My own search for freedom led me to the writer's life, it sent me off to travel the world and, I admit, it has often made me shy away from responsibility. I've spent a lot of time and effort seeking a life that reflects the deep-seated sense of freedom I so wish for. And it's not to say I don't have freedom in my life - I most certainly do and it is something I am very grateful for. But what I've learnt along the way is that no external object, place or lifestyle can ever make us feel free. Because freedom comes from within.
The freedom we find in our external environment, the one we work so hard to cultivate and hold on to is a fleeting kind of freedom. It feels great for a while, but eventually the shine starts to fade and we discover that old longing resurfacing once more. We get restless. We begin to imagine a new circumstance that might grant us this elusive freedom. We set a neverending cycle in motion.
We seek to be free because our inner lives are in turmoil. When we're overcome by fear and tension, self-doubt and negativity, we long to free ourselves from the pain. But when we look for this freedom out in the world, rather than within, we are ignoring the real issues that bubble away inside us. And any act becomes futile.
Real, lasting, freedom is actually a state of mind. It is a choice we must make - to develop an inner peace that will forever accompany us through life, no matter what is thrown at us. In its truest sense being free is all about how we feel inside.
I've found that I am free when I look within for the answers, when I choose to not let outside restrictions define me. I am free when I allow myself to be happy, when I choose to let joy be the driving force in my life.
When we focus on cultivating our inner world, our outer lives reflects this. So choose to feel free and you'll never need to search for it again. Choose freedom and it will appear everywhere you look!
Friday, 21 December 2012
21.12.12
Welcome to a brand new world!
The Ancient Mayan gave today's date as the moment the world as we know it would change. A shift is occurring on the planet and within us all. We are in the midst of a rebirth.
We're witnessing a transformation of consciousness.
This is all part of our spiritual evolution - humans are awakening to the presence of something more. We're becoming aware of the life energy that links us all together, that feeds our souls, that empowers our planet. We're slowly moving towards a more balanced existence - one that embraces both the physical, material world (the one we can see and touch) and the energetic, spiritual world (the one we feel and know in our hearts to be there).
We're connecting to the truth of who we really are - spiritual beings united in our common purpose to experience human life. We're letting go of separateness and fear to focus more on love and oneness. We're starting to act for the highest good of all.
I believe today is the beginning of this new phase of human evolution and I'm excited to see what the future holds. I wish for each and every one of us a life full of love and joy. May we all be healed of past hurts and move forward into a more peaceful co-existence.
Happy Rebirth Day!
"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, serenely, divinely aware."
~ Henry Miller ~
The Ancient Mayan gave today's date as the moment the world as we know it would change. A shift is occurring on the planet and within us all. We are in the midst of a rebirth.
We're witnessing a transformation of consciousness.
This is all part of our spiritual evolution - humans are awakening to the presence of something more. We're becoming aware of the life energy that links us all together, that feeds our souls, that empowers our planet. We're slowly moving towards a more balanced existence - one that embraces both the physical, material world (the one we can see and touch) and the energetic, spiritual world (the one we feel and know in our hearts to be there).
We're connecting to the truth of who we really are - spiritual beings united in our common purpose to experience human life. We're letting go of separateness and fear to focus more on love and oneness. We're starting to act for the highest good of all.
I believe today is the beginning of this new phase of human evolution and I'm excited to see what the future holds. I wish for each and every one of us a life full of love and joy. May we all be healed of past hurts and move forward into a more peaceful co-existence.
Happy Rebirth Day!
"The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, serenely, divinely aware."
~ Henry Miller ~
Labels:
awareness,
divinity,
energy,
spiritual awakening,
spirituality
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