Peace Archives - Lightwords - Life Coaching, Healing, Wellness

12 Sep

Live With Equanimity

Choosing to live with equanimity—or even-mindedness—is a great step that improves our life experience.

By taking a calmer approach to life we feel better; we deal with situations more effectively and open ourselves up to higher guidance.

Here is a message from Spirit that talks about the power of equanimity in our lives.

Spirit’s Message

“Dearest ones, the toils of life are transitory experiences that move you forward along the path. And as you move, episodes both joyful and sorrowful occur.

All is best taken with equanimity. Remove yourself from judging situations as to whether you are pleased with them or not and take all life experiences with equanimity. In this way you open yourself up to receiving guidance from your Higher-self. Your ego has less power and less control over you when you do not judge.

Stay calm, stay poised. Move deeper into the loving relationship that you have with Divine Love. Open your mind to the possibility of solutions to your problems.

Stay even-tempered, lessen ego control and you will receive guidance intuitively that will help you through all of life experiences.

Equanimity brings strength, peace, direction and serenity.

Blessings and Love,

Spirit”

Equanimity: Connect to the peace within

Whilst, at times, it can be hard to stay even-minded—particularly during testing times—a helpful technique is to focus on the breath. The following exercise restores a sense of calmness to our being.

It goes like this:

Pause for a moment… then take a deep breath—preferably one from your belly—and then hold the breath for a second or two. Now slowly exhale, ensuring that the exhalation of your breath is calm and very, very slow. Sink into the feeling of peace that emerges from the slow exhalation of the breath.

Repeat the process 3 times.

Taking time to quieten the ego and to disengage from the emotional body is a helpful strategy towards establishing peace, balance and equanimity in our lives.

Three-step approach to living with more equanimity

Next time you are faced with an upsetting situation, immediately recall the word ‘equanimity’ to mind. This will remind you to deal with the situation with a more even-minded approach. Then, do the above breath exercise which will help to settle the mind and reduce agitated feelings.

Once you feel calmer, take a moment to go inwards and ask for guidance on how best to manage the situation at hand.

This three-step approach is a simple strategy that helps work our way towards living life with equanimity.

This Month’s Video

This 3 minute relaxation video will help reconnect you to the peace and calm of your deeper-self.

22 Dec

Christmas Love

Like it or not, here we are again.

It’s the week before Christmas and many people are out and about gathering last minute presents; visiting friends and relatives; finalising, organising and preparing for Christmas.

We plan and work hard in preparation for one single day and yes, at times, it can seem like a crazy thing to do but … Christmas is a time of celebration and joyful connection with those we love.

And more than that, it’s a time to be reminded to live the message of Christ—to live with love.

Love is the true message of Christmas yet, sometimes, we lose focus. Caught up in all the commercialism that is so rife at this time of the year, we lose sight of Christ’s true message.

To conclude my blogs for 2015, I’d like to end with part of a message that we received from Spirit during one of our healing meditations.

It so perfectly reminds us of the true meaning and spirit of Christmas; love all of humanity and especially those who harm others, for it is through love that we can change their hearts—lift them from darkness to light.

Love can save our world.

Spirit’s Message of Love

Here is Spirit’s message received on 11.12.11. Considering the world events that have been occurring lately, Spirit’s message of 4 years ago is even more pertinent in the world today!

“…May we ask you, during this period, as much as you can, as you can, when you can, just to give love to humanity. To project love to all of those peoples in the world who disagree with each other and who, regrettably, harm each other’s physical beings.

Direct your love to them as a gift in the recognition of the birth of The Christ energy in human form.

See the light of Christ pouring into their beings as though you were directing a beam of light towards them. See the light being absorbed into their spirit-selves and the adjustment that that unending love will bring to their physical thinking.

If you can find time to do that, you will greatly help people who live in terrible darkness; you will greatly help countless millions of people upon your earth.”

A gift for all

During this special week, as we gather together and spend time with those we cherish, let us be mindful to extend our love to all on earth.

Christ’s love was for all. Let our hearts be a perfect reflection of His love during Christmastime and throughout the coming year.

This Christmas, give a gift to the world; project love!

May peace fill your hearts, may love carry you on wings of joy.

Blessings, peace, happiness and LOVE to you this Christmas.

15 Dec

Enjoy Christmas

Christmas is meant to be a time of great peace and enjoyment yet, sadly, for most, it’s a time of great stress.

How can we stay healthy and enjoy this special time of year?

The key is to focus our attention on what Christmastime is really about: Inner-peace and goodwill. Both improve our wellbeing and when we incorporate them into our lives, our personal stress levels reduce and our enjoyment of Christmas increases.

Here are some suggestions on how to incorporate these qualities so that you stay well and enjoy this Christmas season.

Foster Peace

Spend time in peaceful contemplation each day. As little as10 minutes a day is enough to foster feelings of inner-peace.

Approach Christmas shopping with a peaceful attitude. Make a commitment to stay calm and unflustered even if the people around you are rushing.

Make it easier on yourself: Purchase simpler and fewer gifts; limit the number of social engagements that you attend so that you don’t over-commit yourself.

Go for morning or evening walks. It’s a great time of the year to be out and about and there is nothing like nature to bring peaceful feelings to our heart.

Foster Goodwill

Reach out to those you know who have experienced a recent loss; who are healing from an illness; who are lonely, poor or hungry. Kindhearted acts are great stress-busters and heart-warmers.

There are many charities that need extra help during Christmastime. Why not volunteer to help or contribute financially through food and/or toy donations. Making someone else’s life a little happier makes a day very worthwhile.

Christmas Joy!

You can reduce your stress levels and enjoy Christmas more by doing these things which will make your life—and the lives of those around you—so much better.

08 Dec

Healthy Christmas Gifts

During Christmas, much of our focus is on buying gifts for others. Whilst it’s good to give to others, it’s also good to give to ourselves.

Here are some personal gifts that won’t break the budget and that’ll improve your health during the festive time.

The gift of Patience

Busy roads, crowded shops; we can’t get away from the fact that it is a hectic time of year but if we adopt a more patient attitude towards it, we will approach it in a more peaceful manner. Patience is a great gift to our blood pressure.

The gift of Forgiveness

The festive season means family time. Whilst it can be difficult to get along with everyone in our immediate and extended family units, focusing on healing broken relationships or tolerating them in a more open-minded way—instead of entrenching them deeper—is a huge gift to yourself.

It’s amazing what happens when our heart opens up to forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift in emotional freedom.

The gift of Calmness

Tired of getting swept up in the Festive rush? Then why not commit to rushing less this year. You can achieve this by planning ahead and being mindful of creating an enjoyable time—without stress. Staying calm is a gift to your mind.

The gifts of Peace, Love and Joy

Start the season early by taking to heart this festive theme. Concentrating on the real meaning of Christmas time – peace, spirit of friendship, kindheartedness – makes us feel happier and it is a gift to our spiritual wellbeing.

The Gift of Moderation

This is the time of excess food and alcohol consumption. Rather than overload your body with extra calories enjoy the treats in moderation. Knowing when to stop is a great gift to your whole body and it will mean fewer calories to burn off in the New Year!

Indulge!

Gift yourself these treats this Christmas. They cost nothing and they’re good for your body, mind and soul!

01 Dec

Stress Less This Christmas

The festive time can be a time of great stress. The rush to get things done; the pressure to buy gifts; over-indulgence in food and alcohol all take a toll on our body.

What can we do to minimise stress during a time of year that is meant to be peaceful and joyful?

Here are 5 tips that will avoid raising your blood pressure!

Make the decision that you want to “stress less” and enjoy the festive season. When this becomes your focus, you’ll find it much easier to achieve.

Plan ahead and avoid leaving things to the last minute. Delegate so that some of the pressures and responsibilities are taken off you. Keep Christmas Day simple. You can still have fun without spending loads of time and money.

Start early. If the thought of shopping stresses you, start early; make a list and get it done in one day. Alternatively, order on-line. Be mindful of over-extending your finances. Why add more pressure to your life when it’s the heartfelt presents that we often cherish the most!

Acts of kindness bring serenity to our life. Try inviting a friend, who would otherwise be lonely, to join you on Christmas day; donate food to charity; give something to someone who has little. We feel joyful and peaceful when we do loving acts such as these.

Walk! If there are times when stress does get the better of you, go for a walk. Walking reduces the production of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. It uplifts your mood. Perfect!

The best present

The key to getting the most enjoyment out of the festive season is to give yourself a present—and the best present of all is the gift of peace!

You deserve this priceless gift and so does your body.

Make it your goal this Christmas to experience more joy—less stress!

24 Mar

Treat Yourself To A Retreat

My sister, Margaret, and I, recently ran a three day live-in retreat. It was a privilege to be with a group of like-minded women who took time out of their busy lives in order to nourish their body, mind and spirit.

Whilst running the retreat, it really brought home to me the healing benefits of a retreat. With so many daily demands, now, more than ever, it’s important that we take time out. There is great value in slowing down for a while to just be with ourselves; time spent not ‘rushing,’ not ‘doing,’ instead, letting go of our duties so we can have the time to go within.

The Benefits of a Spiritual Retreat

A spiritual retreat not only refreshes and revitalises our energy but, more importantly, it provides the opportunity to rekindle and deepen our relationship with The Divine. Silence, meditation, contemplation—these key practices, which retreat space provides—enable us to hear our inner-voice and the voice of The Divine. Through ‘time out’ we attain a degree of spiritual renewal.

When we are caught up in the daily routines of life it is difficult to see beyond the happenings of the day. Time away on retreat helps us to move from head space to heart space and this brings balance back to our lives.

You don’t necessarily have to travel far to experience a retreat and it is possible to plan and create your own personal retreat. For example, you could choose to set aside a full day, drive to a nature-filled tranquil location where you can spend time in silent meditation and contemplation. You could bring inspirational reading material with you and reflect upon the words of inspiration; you could write your innermost thoughts in a journal or bring along drawing materials and allow the voice of your inner-self to be expressed through art. There are many options available so let your creativity guide you when planning your sacred day.

Whether you are attending an organised retreat or your own personal retreat, there is one golden rule: leave the techno-world behind. This means, disengaging from social media and leaving your ipad or laptop at home. Let go of the constant need for communication that drives our modern day lives and instead be fully present with life, with God.

Retreats are a powerful vehicle for reflection, connection and restoration of our spirit.

Make an investment in your wellbeing and attend—or create—a spiritual retreat. You deserve it and your spirit yearns for quiet time and connection.

A retreat is a wonderful gift to yourself!

If you would like to attend an organised retreat, I will be running a live-in spiritual retreat in Shoalwater, June 12-15, 2015. If you are interested in attending, please contact me as soon as possible to register your interest as numbers are limited.

Here are the Testimonials from our most recent retreat.