Happiness is...

Being happy is something we all aspire to be and having worked with many clients on a personal and professional level, happiness is top of the list.

So how do we become happy? This is different for everyone. Some are born with a happy disposition, others work through issues to find it, many dip their toes into being it and some just jump right in. The wonderful thing about happiness is it is available to all of us who have a willingness to choose it.

So with that in mind, here are a few top tips to embrace happiness:

1. Give yourself permission to be happy - It is your god given right to be happy. Don’t settle for anything less.

2. Accept yourself fully - Get to know the good, the bad and the ugly. Be aware of your dark side, yes that naughty little ego that screams obscenities about your insecurities, and tries to stop you being H.A.P.P.Y. Having that awareness means you win, it loses and goes away defeated, deflated with its tails between its legs….close the door behind you ego. Recognising these illusionary ego thoughts and identifying they are not who you are, gives you back your power. Remember you are perfect as you are and we all have a dark side.

3. Be grateful - Take small steps each day to create your dream life. This will not happen instantly, it takes time and effort but you will reap the rewards of directing your life in a right direction. Do not give up when things get tough, be brave, keep going and direct your life the way you want it to go. Appreciate everything you already have in your life, rather than focusing on the things you don’t have.

4. Get a little crazy - Start doing fun things you love. Why keep it for a rainy day, be present, be now and embrace your crazy side. Dance, sing, turn up the volume and blow away any cobwebs. Adding more fun into life makes for fantastic moments that bring a smile to your face, laughter in your belly and blushing cheeks all at the same time.

5. Establish boundaries - Learn to say no, don’t let others tell you how to lead your life. Having healthy boundaries is not being selfish, it means waving goodbye to that feeling of obligation and opting for your personal choice. It’s your life, lead it your way.

6. Celebrate your beauty - Don’t be fake, be your authentic self and remember this is not a dress rehearsal, its your life and your time to blossom, so embrace how truly beautiful you are! Inhale joy and let it reach the parts you, you didn’t know existed. Real beauty is an inside job and once discovered, will shine brightly from the inside out, making your aura sparkle.

7. Laugh laugh laugh - All work and no play is extremely dull, so let the good times roll and make time for impromptu get togethers with the people you love. Doing this raises your vibration, dissolving negativity instantly. Laughter is contagious, once you start its hard to stop so choose to laugh your way through life with like minded people.

8. Shine your light - When you find happiness, share it with others. The world certainly needs more happiness, so shine your light where ever you go and inspire others to do the same.

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Spirituality in everyday life

What does spirituality mean to you?

Being spiritual is such an individual thing. The definition in the dictionary is ‘to relate to deep feelings and beliefs,’ so does that make us all spiritual? Yes.

We all connect to our cause within which is shown in various forms. To some it may be sport or football, can you imagine asking supporters in Easter road if they are spiritual? The answer would probably be hilarious, yet if you were to ask them if they deeply feel and believe in their team I’m sure it would be a resounding YES! The same could be said for believing in ourselves, our children, partners or whatever means a lot to us.

Why is there such a spiritual taboo? Most spirituality gets confined to a religious context, which then places limitations on what we believe. Yet if the actual word means deep feelings and beliefs, there can be no right or wrong way to believe. There have been more wars caused by a group of people believing deeply that their God is better then anyone else's God, with precious human lives being lost because of it. Who exactly benefits from it? Do we really think God would want us to slaughter one another over a name?

Another popular stereotype of spirituality is New Age, the good old tree hugging hippy types that smell of patchouli oil and wear tie dye clothes. From my experience this tends to be the most familiar type caste for calling someone spiritual. But what if you don’t believe in the beauty of tie dye or patchouli scents, and opt for a more contemporary way of expressing your spirituality. Does this still make you spiritual? Yes.

The wonderful thing about being spiritual is the freedom it brings. You can be whatever you want to be and celebrate your deep feelings. Lets accept each other and remember our beliefs form at a young age with whatever social exposure we have experienced. Our belief system changes as we grow older as we experience more life lessons. We can learn to accept each other and be less judgmental, because when we grow more spiritually we adopt oneness principles which lead us towards a more authentic way of living.

What if we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. Our human experience has the potential to be like a heaven on earth experience. When we are open enough to deeply believe in each other and our infinite possibilities, there can be no room for limitations as to how we each choose to live our lives. All that matters is we are being true to our soul connection and who we really are. To establish acceptance of this kind is a brave and beautiful thing.

If spirituality was interpreted as each of us living an authentic experience on earth, which is based on a soul revival and embracing what makes our heart sing, surely that would help us relate to our deep feelings of believing in ourselves. Living this way would have the power to inspire others to do the same. After all, actions do speak louder than words. 

Live from your heart - Share your truth - Embrace your inner peace

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Loving Nature

As Spring is now upon us there is a feeling of fresh anticipation, a lightness that is affecting each and everyone of us. With lighter mornings and evenings we are all waking up from our hibernation and stretching in the delight of new beginnings. What a beauty there is embracing the wonderfulness of Spring.

Nature shows us a beautiful example of beginnings and endings through the seasons and moon cycles. Where there is one there is the other and nothing ever stays the same. Everything moves forward and evolves as it needs to be, that is natural living.

We have the birth of Spring where nature bursts into life offering new beginnings. Summer is when nature thrives and grows to its fullest. Autumn is when we harvest and Winter is when everything dies back, letting the soil rejuvenate itself, awaiting Spring.

Our lives are the same. We can give birth to an idea, then watch it grow. See it blossom with Summer energy becoming ripe and ready for picking. Autumn energy celebrates the harvest and rewards, then comes Winter energy, where we reflect upon choices, outcomes and whether we wish to repeat the same process. It is a perfect cycle that is governed by a far bigger force than ourselves; Nature.

We also experience natural living through moon cycles; the waxing moon, full moon, waning moon and new/dark moon.The waxing moon cycle is all about giving birth to something new and building that energy up to be manifested in the full moon. The full moon (similar to Summer energy) is when we watch our chosen idea begin to flourish and reach its prime or begin to blossom. The waning moon cycle is all about letting go, surrendering and detoxing with no attachments, in preparation for the new/dark moon cycle (similar to Winter energy) where reflection upon choices and outcomes are reviewed in preparation for the waxing cycle.

Nothing can stay the same forever, everything changes including ourselves. We will experience beginnings where fresh new energy comes into our lives and be familiar with endings. We need this to happen to release the old so the new can come in, and so the cycle continues. It is exciting with fresh new energy and opportunities around each corner, we need to learn to let go of the old in order to embrace the new.

Working in sync with nature helps us understand and embrace natural living. It is not reserved for tree huggers, it is available to everyone. It is not a new age way to lead our lives, it is an ancient way.

Lets surrender to nature and all her gifts. She has the power to lift and rejuvenate us instantly with her beauty, touching us deep within our soul. Lets not take her for granted because without nature what do we have?

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A Woman's Intuition

I have funny memories of my father talking about woman’s intuition. He was amazed and baffled at how women could be so insightful. At first he would be resistant to intuitive happenings and synchronistic events, then after many years and a household full of women he surrendered to the benefits it brought. What he failed to fully realise was his wife (my mother) was a natural healer, and his mother (my grandmother) was psychic. It was a taboo subject kept between the ladies, yet when dad began to understand it, he became our greatest fan.

I am fascinated with my Celtic heritage, my family tree dates back to the 14th century and is packed with Celtic mystery and intrigue. I am also grateful to have been told old stories which were shared with me by my grandmother. These almost forgotten stories tell of ancient times and cultures that can still apply to present day living.

It is well known that Scottish woman are feisty, independent, grounded and say it as it is. So where does all this directness come from? It comes from our ancient way of living….

Prior to Christianity coming onto the shores of Scotland, we followed a completely different lifestyle structure which was based on matriarchalism; we worshipped the female form, the goddess. A woman born into Scottish culture was automatically free, she could live with whom she wanted, was equal to her Celtic brothers, inherit her fathers estate with no male influence and embrace a natural life of the land without fear of being killed for being a witch. This was one of the only cultures in the world that held these principles.

If a Scottish woman wanted to settle down with a partner (what we now know as marriage) she would choose a person and live and love with them for a year. If it worked well between them, they would commit a lifetime together. If it didn’t work well, they would separate without judgement. If a child was conceived within that year when they weren’t suited, the child would automatically be raised by the mothers family and inherit her family name. An only daughter would inherit her fathers estate in her own right without it going to a male cousin or relative, she was viewed as equal on Scottish soil. This still applies within Scottish law to this present day which makes it very different from other countries.

Natural living from the land and the sea was how it was done. Healing with plants, herbs, symbols, moon cycles and crystals was part of life. Using intuition and clairvoyance was normal, trusting our visions and seeing future events was and still is a Celtic way of life. Scottish women were highly sought after and shipped all over the world to foretell the future, as they’re visions could help win a war or mould a new empire. They were renowned for their clairvoyance gifts and insights, and were feared because of their pale skin, wild woman hair, piercing eyes and direct approach. Other cultures could not understand their ways and apparent lack of fear, Celtic women were very mysterious creatures. Scotland was and still is a matriarch culture, with most principles remaining the same. Fathers and brothers supported, endorsed and celebrated the equality. They were and are the ultimate 21st century men.

As a fully fledged Scot, I can say that there is something different about being an intuitive Scottish woman. With natural insight synced to our third eye chakra, this entrepreneurial intuition runs through all our veins and appears to be part of our DNA.

No wonder my dad spoke about woman’s intuition and celebrated it with the women in his life. He was baffled by it, yet proud to be part of it. After all, you can take the woman out of Scotland but you can’t take Scotland out of the woman.

 

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