Happiness

Wow what a year 2011 was, it really did feel like a prelude into an exciting new phase for me. 

2011 was one of the most difficult yet beautiful, enriching and happiest experiences of my life. There is nothing better to walk ones talk whilst dancing to the beat of your own drum. 

The best and greatest awareness I received was to 'know' what happiness is.

Knowing is far greater than any understanding and I am thankful that 2011 brought forth an opening to true authentic happiness.

So what is happiness?

Dr Robert Holden’s (The happiness project) studies reveal that the only thing people choose over happiness is authenticity. So there is a clue here; by being authentic is to become happy.

But what is it to be truly authentic?

Is it merely to be honest or truthful? This is not what we are talking about here but this element is carried through into authenticity. It is far greater than just being honest and truthful for authenticity encompasses love.

To find our authenticity is often a journey, a slow dawning of releasing limiting ideas and concepts held by us. This may seem daunting, yet there is a quick route to locating our authenticity in any given moment. This fast track route is the basis of my work. I help my clients make breakthroughs to release their old limiting selves to access their authentic selves.

The quickest way is to our authenticity (thus happiness) is to connect with our highest joys and pleasures in life. I’m not talking hedonism here, I’m talking about the soulful kind of joy, the things that make our hearts sing, those things that we find inspirational and make us feel alive. The kind of joy I’m talking about inspires others and leaves no trace of guilt or shame behind; it ultimately brings us and others around us a sense of true happiness.

The biggest issue I have found with my clients is in believing that joy, pleasure and happiness is ones right. Most of us tell ourselves a ‘story’ that suffering to some degree is noble and epitomises goodness. We so often believe that life should be a struggle, and that life needs to be hard work to get anywhere. Our­­ culture even worships those that have suffered greatly. This is part of the myth and reason why most of us hold this subconscious belief and act it out.

But the truth is far gentler then that, the truth is that our authenticity is our highest nature (and our purest nature) and happiness comes from allowing our greatest pleasures and soulful joys to be the pathway to how we live out our lives. In pursuing our highest nature and moving out of old paradigm beliefs that have caused us suffering we release ourselves to explore our more pure state. HAPPINESS=LOVE

I work with individuals using several powerful techniques to release old beliefs to access their highest expression and authenticity. Each technique are pathways to shed old beliefs to reveal what is already there and that which has been waiting to be revealed and  the only thing on offer is life altering happiness.

For instance believing we should be sensible and do a job that is ‘seemingly’ more likely to offer continuous employment, even though our greatest love and deepest pleasure maybe music, can cause great suffering. Most of us pursue an amount of suffering by believing similar ‘ideas, concepts and stories’ and not living out our authentic nature. Most of us hold a subconscious belief that happiness will be ours after working for it and striving for it. But nothing can be further from the truth; life can be a beautiful, natural and effortless unfolding when we access happiness in the now.

Many of you may be still left wondering what is my authentic nature? You may be thinking that you have no idea what your highest expression is.  And that’s ok. Some of us have never allowed ourselves to really look into ourselves with this probing question.  But this article hasn’t just fallen into your lap for no good reason; you are reading it right here and now because you have called in this awakening. You are powerful beyond belief. You are obviously now ready to ask yourself this very question.

Ask yourself, what would I do if I had no limitations? Consider this question as if nothing was holding you back and if all of life was on offer to you, money was no barrier and all ‘matters’ become no problem at all. Believe for even a moment that you had all the support in the world. What would you choose?

If nothing comes straight away, allow this question to just rest in your consciousness, contemplating it over days and even weeks.

Your answer offers you a glimpse into your highest nature.

Ask yourself who can resist a totally inspired individual living out their unique truth?

One of my favourite quotes comes to mind:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Really contemplate this quote. Imagine’ a world where we each lived out our highest joy.

It may very well be true that not everyone can be a famous musician but there are plenty of other avenues to experience ones greatest joy. It is a matter of personal enquiry to find our unique path for our authentic expression. This is where guidance from someone like myself, a coach, counsellor and or beginning a meditative practice is useful.

Meditation is a practice that many baulk at, believing they can’t do it. Another ‘story’. How can I not think some may ask? But meditation is not about ‘Not thinking’. Meditation really is:

1.       About allowing stillness. You start by stilling the body and closing the eyes

2.       The mind then starts to relax a little

3.       Allowing thoughts to rise to the surface

4.       Releasing the thoughts, as they arise, not holding on to them. Letting them float away.

This is the beginning of Meditation. And as we practice this method within weeks and sometimes sooner we will notice that the space between each thought grows. This is when meditation is begins to gain strength. The more we practice the greater the distance between each chattering thought. And it is between each of these thoughts where inspiration (our highest self) surfaces.

Inspiration is recognised as clarity, ideas that bubble up between the normal mind chatter. Inspiration stands out as it leaves us feeling wonderful and clear. Inspiration never leaves us feeling worried or anxious; it lifts us up and leaves us inspired.

The more time spent in ‘inspiration’ the quicker we are to find the key to our authentic self.

Who are we when we have let go of negative, guilt ridden angry or worrisome thoughts about ourselves and others? We are light, joyful, relaxed and loving. Free.

So now that we are connecting to our highest most authentic self through the practice of meditation or any number of other methods we find that we connect naturally with more and more episodes of happiness. You find that happiness is not even about doing, it is all about being. So being authentic brings happiness.

If you are like the example before, you may find yourself playing more music, singing more, being more in focus in on your particular expression of music. And as you do you allow yourself to integrate more completely, exuding more and more happiness.

It then becomes a natural turn of events that you will attract likeminded new friends or your group. When we are integrated and radiate love and joy out we naturally attract the perfect group of people that reflect back to us our newer, more joyful happy selves. And when we associate with happy people we are more likely to continue to choose happiness.

When we connect with others who share our values and beliefs, we automatically feel understood and in turn loved and appreciated. Like the guitar player that began alone, playing joyfully until this became known within as the highest joy, then this individual begins to share their joy more openly, bringing forward natural connections with others who share this same sense in music. Together they join a band, collectively making music that without the others could not be. The music becomes something far greater than each unique individual could create; it is a joyful magical collaboration that can only be achieved in co-creating with others. Something much larger than ourselves can be achieved when our joys are shared.  A shared joy is multiplied happiness.

Once we find our place in the world through connecting to our authenticity and then begin sharing openly our highest expression we find that in our sharing and receiving, in the co-creating with others that what we are actually doing is making ‘love’.  And here lies the truth about happiness. Happiness is sharing and being love.

Authenticity =Happiness =Pure uninterrupted Love.

Metaphysics 101 The Great Questions and Answers

A metaphysician at heart I love to delve deep into the great questions but I have realized quite clearly that my intention to discuss these deepest truths may have gone too deep too soon. It was my little sister who said it perfectly, ‘I know what you are talking about but I don’t completely get it’.

I for one am very grateful for her honesty. I was at that same place for a long time and it got me thinking that I need to make this conversation digestible and easily adaptable. Afterall this is part of my journey, the journey of communicating these ideas. So bare with me as I attempt to discuss ultimate truths in a digestable way, after all I have come to know that ultimate truths can never be 'understood' in an all knowing way, we find that there are always levels upon levels of understanding to be gained.

To explore the level Metaphysics 101 we first need to acknowledge the eternal questions within. These are the questions that are rarely spoken in polite conversation; the ones that fail to permeate through the drone of work and daily life. The great questions of ‘who are we’ ‘what are we’ and ‘why we are’ are the outline to the first lesson.

I found myself early on exploring the ‘great questions’ which have led me here today attempting to offer some clarity around these seemingly far out concepts. It was my first publicly open question of this sort that later led me to study Metaphysics, Reiki, Hypnotherapy and other healing arts. Funnily enough my first probing question came during a sex education class at school when I was 10.

To dispel any concerns or embarrassment our teacher handed out paper and offered that we could write down any questions that we were too embarrassed out loud. So the first thing that went through my head and what I innocently wrote down on that scrap of paper was, "what else is there?" I mean the unveiling of ‘sex’ to me had shaken things up I felt that my line of questioning fitted the context of this class. To me sex was an unveiling of one of the great mysteries in life. I assumed that since the 'adults' had kept this from us for this long it was likely there were more truths not yet unveiled. In fact I knew there were.

It was my opportunity to find out. I nervously awaited my question to be read out and even though it was anonymous I wanted to hide away as my teacher read it out loud with a perplexed smile on her face. She announced that ‘no, that was everything’, and in less than a sentence she dashed my hopes of finding out the deepest of truths. ‘What was I’, ‘who was I’ and ‘Why was I’, I hadn’t formulated my question quite right but this is what I was asking. I don’t think she quite understood my line of questioning, but I knew that she sensed the greater meaning. It was the first time I understood that even these questions baffled adults.

That moment set me upon a great path of discovery. If adults don’t even know, I figured that I will have to go to work it out myself. And then little by little my desire to understand began to bring forth information and people who revealed to me further snippets that kept my questioning alive. Life tends to do this, always leading us back to the same questions for greater and deeper revelation.

It was my Grandmother’s near death experience that really pushed me over the edge into questioning life and death with a fervor early on. Hearing my Grandmother’s (NDE) story changed my life and created a deep desire to understand more.

'Here we go again' my mother and I thought as we sat listening to what we expected to be one of the many repeated stories my grandmother so colorfully told. This time however she surprised us both. She revealed her near death experience that occurred during childbirth to our utter amazement.

Noonie (as we call our hippy grandmother) would describe the vivid ordeal as though she had just gone through it, a recollection so detailed that it felt more real than the here and now.

She recalled the doctors every word and actions during the time of her death; she described a tunnel of great light, the greetings of long dead relatives and the experience of oneness and bliss. During her magical experience she heard the words ‘it's not your time’ and understood her need to return to her body as her ‘purpose’ had not yet been fulfilled, she had a baby to look after and however much she didn’t want to return she knew she must. 

It was she believes divine will that dropped her back within the confines of her body like a heavy thud, back to the burdens and pain.

This experienced stirred me deeply as I realized how fantastic and wonderful the universe really was and finally there was a story I did want to hear over and over. The thought of her experiences gave me countless magical nights lying in bed trying to get my head around God and infinity. I mean try and imagine ‘infinity’ now, go on.

At the time however God still remained separate to my idea of what I was and who I was and yet I knew was beginning to gather a greater truth.

I remember going through my holy communion and really expecting to see and experience the holy spirit entering me. However it didn’t happen that way; and since I was so curious I was bitterly disappointed. At once I gave up on organized religion. I was 9.

As long as I expected to experience God as separate to me, I was never going to know God. Of course I didn’t know this at the time. So I continued along my personal journey not yet understanding the key so I read books on great mysteries, watched anything I could which unveiled or discussed the mysterious.  It was all pointing in the same direction.

Lesson 1 ‘What am I’, ‘who am I’ and ‘Why am I’

The greatest and most profound truth to be remembered or unveiled along the path of discovery and which is the key to all other discoveries is that you and I are in fact one with God. There is no thing which is not God, we are the one mind, the one and same thing experiencing itself in its many facets of itself in order to come to know and expand our self. And although we each have spent many years searching externally for the great answers we remain confused and perplexed.

Religion in all it good meaning has confused the situation by preaching separateness; I continue to see so much confusion when one believes the greatest myth of all, that we are separate. The answer is within, and within there is all.

God is within. God is not external, and as we are God none of us is less than the other and we are all one. It is only our level of  'awarness' that keeps this truth from being lived 100%. The word God can be exchanged for the word Life, Universal Consciousness, Love, or Oneness. It is the eternal energy of everything. It is everything and it is only our thoughts and actions that lead us away from the truth, our forgetting.

The veil of illusion covers the truth. But we can find our way back again in uniquely glorious ways. And it is our way back that expands God's, Life's, or Love's experience of itself. God is continually evolving, as is life. As is love. They are the same thing. We are continually expanding individually and collectively we expand. We are not separate to life and love. We are in essence pure eternal love and light manifested into the physical to experience the Ying and Yang of ourselves; through which we learn and expand our consciousness (our awarness of the divine truth).

As we individually expand we affect the collective reality which affects ultimate reality (God) and thus we are part of the collective and ultimate source.

No one expects you to take this information on face value, in fact I implore you not to. These things need to be experienced and deeply understood. And I want for you to experience the feeling of love, oneness and god. So below is a beautiful exercise to encourage this experience. And remember like all things, practice makes perfect. So it is advised to practice this lovely 5 minute meditation daily until the next lesson is available, by that time you will be ready.

Exercise: As appropriated from Nithya Shanti's meditation (www.spreadinghappiness.com)

Get comfortable, close your eyes and relax. Bring awareness to your breath, breathing in through the nose and breathing out through the mouth. Feel the cyclical nature of the breath as it reaches down in to the diaphragm.

Gently bring your awareness to your breathing and gently bring your awareness to your heart.

And as you breathe in I want you to fill yourself with love,

And as you breath out, fill yourself with love.

Breath by breath tune into this quality do it very patiently keeping a gentle smile on the face.

Gradually this quality gathers momentum, I want you to fill yourself with this quality, fill yourself with this quality……

And when you feel that you are filling up with this quality, you can decide to let it over flow let it flow out and fill the whole atmosphere around you and everyone that is in the vicinity may they also benefit from love.

Breath in to fill yourself up and breath out to saturate to whole atmosphere around you.

Stream by stream it becomes a river, this quality becomes a mighty river, flowing in all directions.

And when you feel ready let it expand even further in all directions of space and time.

Let this quality become expansive, boundless, limitless, unhinged unobstructed.

Let this quality become infinite, infinite, infinite and saturate the entire universe in all directions of space time, there is only this quality, there is nothing but this quality. There is nothing but love.

Lesson two will begin to unveil the interrelated workings of body, mind and soul and offer us further experience of this ultimate truth.

Lesson two ‘The vibration of you’ will be available next week

The magical nature of thoughts

Did you know that it only takes a few seconds of focusing your attention on a subject for you to activate the vibration of that subject within you? We do this constantly whether in awareness or not. And the longer you keep your attention focused on that subject the easier it becomes for you to continue to keep focus upon it, since the law of attraction begins to take over. This is where the magic begins to happen. So with this in mind wouldn't it be wise for you to consciously begin to focus your attention on what you want rather than what you don't want to happen?

Your thoughts and feelings are literally the vibration of you and they move out into the etheral exactly like radio waves and attach to other like minded vibrations (thoughts, feeling and signals) which in turn brings these people and experiences into your reality. So now you can begin to understand how your biggest fears come into reality, since we have often spent so much time worrying them into existance.

So I am literally saying that by focusing (worrying) about the things you are most fearful of you are actually the cause of it coming into your life. Wow, but the good news is that of course it works the other way, and even better news is that the law of attraction favours every thought that is in the positive. In fact when we consciously focus on what we would rather happen we activate the law of attraction much more powerfully, and the law of attraction gathers momentum in favour of positive thoughts.

It is actually within 17 seconds of focusing on something that the matching vibration becomes activated. As the focus becomes stronger the vibration becomes clearer and will bring you thoughts that match the focus and intent. If you maintain your focus longer the power of vibration becomes further reaching and if you can maintain this focus for as little as 68 seconds the vibration of your thought and feeling signals become powerful enough for the vibration to begin manifestation.

The trick is that when you return to that positive thought and feeling maintaining if for at least 68seconds that thought becomes the dominant thought. And once you have sucessfully acheived a dominant thought you will then experience the matching manifestations.

Remember that:

• The thoughts you think equal your point of attraction.
• You get what you think about, whether you want it or not.
• Your thoughts have equal vibrations, and that vibration is then answered by the Law of Attraction.
• As your vibration expands and becomes more powerful, it eventually becomes powerful enough for manifestation to occur.
• In other words, what you think (and therefore feel), and what manifests in your experience, is always a vibrational match.

You Have the Ability to Direct Your Own Thoughts

You have the ability to direct your own thoughts; you have the option of either observing things as they are or you can imagaine them as you want them to be. Imagining or observing is equally as powerful. Did you know that the mind  can not determine the difference between the imagination or action/observation of the same thing. The same areas of the brain are triggered with equal intensity whether it is imagined or observed.
This shows just how powerful ones imagination is when used in directing our thoughts. The mind can not tell the difference and begins to change the processing of your thoughts which effect the vibration of you and ultimately your experience.

So you can either remember something as it actually occurred or imagine it as you would prefer. You can either anticipate something you want or anticipate something you do not want. In each case, your thoughts produce a vibration within you that equals your point of attraction, and then all the circumstances and events begin to line up to match the vibrations that you have offered.

So it is up to you to begin to become conscious of your thoughts and signals to the universe, look at your current situation and map back to the first thoughts you had that led you to where you are now and you will find it all begins within you. Your thoughts and feeling were responsible for taking you to where you are now, good, bad or imbetween.

It is not difficult to begin to change the patterns of your vibrations, espeically when you understand you can start to do it in such a short time.

Excerise:
Find a current negative thought within you, try to isolate the under pinning of that thought.
for example:

'I never have enough money to pay all of my bills' and literally switch it to it's complete opposite

'I always have enough money to pay all of my bills and much more'

The positive affirmation is now the thought to focus on, begin focusing on this thought by repeating the positive affirmation for at least 68 seconds. Come back to this thought as a way to consciously program it within you as many times during the day as possible. Revisit the affirmation thought programming until you know you have enough money to pay all the bills, or whatever it is you would most want to happen.

Byron Katie once said 'If you asked for something 1000 times you would surely get it'. She said it perfectly, affirm enough times the things you most want and they will begin to be your most dominant thought and law of attraction must deliver.

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Hawaiian Magic

I want to introduce you to one of my most profound realisations along the path to Alchemy; it is the controversial concept of taking 100% responsibility for EVERYTHING that comes into our awareness. Yes we are talking everything. Even that 'horrible road raging maniac' you almost ran into the other day, or the war against terrorism, even your friend with 'cancer'. Everything. 

Now before you erk and turn the other cheek to this 'far out' and 'full on' concept I would like to clarify what we are talking about here. We are not talking about taking on guilt or blame but we are talking about loving in the most complete way.

Hooponopono is a beautiful Hawaiian Kahuna Lapa’au technique brought into modern use by Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona (who was considered a Hawaiian ‘living treasure’) and is now being carried forward by Dr. Hew Len. It is a simple practice which opens you up to divine clarity, healing and truth.

Dr Hew Len came to be known by Dr. Joe Vitale after he heard of a miraculous healing of an entire ward housing the criminally insane in Hawaii. Dr. Hew Len was practicing Ho’oponopono, whilst working at the ward. He took total responsibility for the patients and in the process healed each of them. Dr. Joe Vitale went on to write the book Zero Limits with Dr. Hew Len

To capture the impact of this healing read about the healing direct from Zero Limits below.

"I asked him to tell me the complete story of his work as a therapist. He explained that he worked at Hawaii State Hospital for four years. That ward where they kept the criminally insane was dangerous. Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. The staff called in sick a lot or simply quit. People would walk through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was not a pleasant place to live, work, or visit.


Dr. Len told me that he never saw patients. He agreed to have an office and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal. "After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely," he told me. "Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released were being freed." I was in awe. "Not only that," he went on, "but the staff began to enjoy coming to work. Absenteeism and turnover disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that ward is closed."


This is where I had to ask the million dollar question: "What were you doing within yourself that caused those people to change?" "I was simply healing the part of me that created them," he said.


I didn't understand. Dr. Len explained that total responsibility for your life means that everything in your life - simply because it is in your life--is your responsibility. In a literal sense the entire world is your creation.


Whew. This is tough to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is quite another. Yet, the truth is this: if you take complete responsibility for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way experience is your responsibility because it is in your life.


This means that terrorist activity, the president, the economy--anything you experience and don't like--is up for you to heal. They don't exist, in a manner of speaking, except as projections from inside you. The problem isn't with them, it's with you, and to change them, you have to change you. I know this is tough to grasp, let alone accept or actually live.


Blame is far easier than total responsibility, but as I spoke with Dr. Len, I began to realize that healing for him and in ho 'oponopono means loving yourself. If you want to improve your life, you have to heal your life. If you want to cure anyone--even a mentally ill criminal--you do it by healing you.


I asked Dr. Len how he went about healing himself. What was he doing, exactly, when he looked at those patients' files? "I just kept saying, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you' over and over again," he explained.


That's it? That's it. Turns out that loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself, and as you improve yourself, you improve your world." Zero Limits, 2007 Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr. Hew Len

This form of taking 100% responsibility is not about guilt, shame or taking blame for someone else’s actions or behaviour. It is actually all about owning even the thoughts, feelings, illness, actions and situations we witness in others without consciously needing to understand how it works. Saying I own what is in me that created this experience and then practicing a simple mantra is the essence of Ho'oponopono

It comes from a place of highest truth, a knowing we each have. Knowing that our experiences and the people in our lives are evident for a reason. Reasons not always understood, nor do they need to be for Ho'oponopono to work its magic.

This concept really makes sense when we truly absorb the great truth that we are all ONE.

To learn more about Ho'oponopono you can visit the link below

http://www.zerolimitsonline.com/

and for more back ground information on Hooponopono visit

http://www.self-i-dentity-through-hooponopono.com/

'I'm sorry, please forgive me, i love you, thank you' - Hooponopono

The Alchemists Journey

The alchemists where considered magicians of sorts; they reigned in the middle ages but date back thousands of years before Christ's birth. They strove to turn base metals into gold or silver. However early Alchemists "sought not only to make gold, but to perfect everything in its own nature" F Sherwood Taylor, The Alchemists, 1951

More over they linked change in matter with change in man, so that the alchemical 'work' aimed at perfecting matter was at the same time a psychological process aimed at perfecting him. Undoubtedly many alchemists thought of their work as meditative development of inner personality.

Speaking personally life is a matter of self mastery over our foibles and alchemy is the perfect metaphor for this personal and collective journey- an opportunity to transform into our highest self.

'The Alchemist' by Paulo Cohelo was published in 1988 and is a beautiful tale that perfectly captures the journey of the alchemist. It has special reverence to the spiritual journey within. It was one of the most notable early books I read along my path and is still one I recommend.

So many people in the western world live only acknowledging the physical matter (seen and felt) remaining unaware that without their knowledge they are unconciously effecting their spiritual journey. The modern Alchemist consciously lives in knowing that the greatest glory and all of lifes abundance (gold) is found only when we decide to take the spiritual journey within.

Those living without conscious awareness of the spiritual state they affect often get mixed results in the material world. By not participating with their inner selves they do not understand how matter truly manifests in their lives and thus fail to master it.

The truth is that when one follows their highest calling within, all of lifes abundance showers itself upon you without ever having to chase it. The average unconscious person lives by chasing all things external as a matter of reinforcing success; yet they often miss out on true contentment, joy and happiness by not following their inner bliss.

Inner bliss is often described as what you love most, what brings you happiness and contentment, what makes your heart sing and rejoice. But ultimately it derives from living authentically through your connection with the divine. Those living unconsciously usually push these joys to the sideline believing they do not bring financial rewards and freedom. They pursue financial rewards first hoping that this will allow them the freedom to spend what little time left doing the things they most love. But how untrue this is. This is one of the biggest fallacies of all time and has inspired me to write from my heart about inner alchemy and the magic it brings into our lives.

I am like anyone else who has ventured within and has declared to live from the inside (spiritual centre) out and not the other way around (matter over the innate). I sometimes do this brilliantly and have days of synchronicity, magic and even miracles.  However at other times I like all of us get lost in the social conditioning of the society I live in. But the truth is I can always realign myself and bring back into balance what is true to me.  It is easy because falling back into the arms of love, joy and bliss after an outward struggle is simple and can open you to profound and magical moments immediately.

When I follow my heart there is nothing I need as love is all there is. Everything else is maya (illusion) which is apparent in our lives purely as a reminder to turn within and let go.

I invite you to join me through my Alchemic Journey