Let Your Inner Self Shine

I'm the worse at being self-deprecating. I never realised the negative impact it could have on one's health until my skin rash almost two years ago. Striving for perfection was my justification. Afterall, what's wrong with pushing yourself to achieve your highest potential? Having read Louise Hay's 'You Can Heal Your Life' though, I came to the conclusion that my intention was positive, but my method certainly had room for improvement. Louise discovered that most ailments can be traced back to self-worth issues - i.e. not liking yourself, not being comfortable in your own skin.

In Gill Edwards' 'Living Magically', she gave a rather poignant example which stayed with me ever since - If a friend made a mistake or failed to achieve a task, what would you say to him/her? Personally, I would say 'Hard luck! At least you've tried your very best. Learn from the experience and move on.' So why is it that when it's YOU who have made a mistake, you beat yourself up thinking over and over about it and calling yourself all sorts of names?! Just because it's YOU doesn't mean that you can abuse yourself in that way. You are allowed to be kind to yourself. Admittedly, I do occasionally lapse into my self-critical mode. However, I'm trying my hardest to be gentle with myself and to say 'Well done' or 'You've tried your best' instead of 'That's not good enough', or 'How stupid!'

From my birthchart, I identified the elements which explain my self-deprecating ways and my fears in believing in myself. I have Saturn in Virgo in 2nd house oppose Sun and Mars in Pisces. With oppositions, one of the lessons is to be aware and to balance the two opposing sides. This astrological discovery had led me to trust myself and be more confident in my decision-making. I'm less likely to allow outside influences to hinder my plans.

I believe that the ultimate key to happiness is self-acceptance. You are who you are. Change only because YOU want to.

From Doreen Virtue's 'Magical Messages from the Fairies Oracle Card Deck'

Emotional Eating

Many of my friends are chocoholics. Give them a box of chocolates and they won't be able to control themselves. For me though, I've always had a craving for savoury snacks - crisps in particular.

Food cravings can be triggered by vitamin or mineral deficiencies. However, Doreen Virtue's research has found a link between food cravings and one's emotional state:

Craving plain chocolate bars may mean a desire for stimulation or feeling deprived of love

Crunchy chocolate bars, including ones with nuts could indicate a feeling of frustration, anxiety or anger due to tension or a lack of love

Chocolate cake may mean a feeling of emptiness and insecurity, possibly from a lack of love

Crunchy, high-fat foods, e.g. fried chicken, chips, fries may indicate a feeling of emptiness due to frustration and anger

Spicy foods topped with dairy products, e.g. pizza with extra cheese, Mexicon food with cheese and sour cream may mean feeling depressed because life seems dull

For a more comprehensive list, do take a look at 'Losing Your Pounds of Pain' or 'Constant Craving: What Your Food Cravings Mean and How to Overcome Them'.

The other day, I couldn't resist my coke craving (as in Coca Cola!) and gulped a 500ml bottle in one go (this is rare for me). According to the list: You feel overwhelmed by work or chores and want to have more energy! This is certainly the case with me....

Angelic Protection

On my 22nd birthday, Athena - my predecessor on the JET programme, introduced me to Doreen Virtue's Angel cards. I had fun posing many questions to the oracle cards and listened to Athena telling me about 'sending positive energy out to the universe'. It all seemed too abstract at the time. I didn't think too much of it until two years later, a series of unhappy events led me to question about the meaning of life. Why do some people get all the luck and success, leaving others with trauma and suffering? I then recalled Athena's Angel cards and decided to check-out Doreen's website.

I found Doreen's spiritual teaching very soothing to the soul. In particular, I liked the sound of learning through peace instead of pain, a concept very alien to me as I used to be an advocate of 'No Pain, No Gain!'. I wanted to find out more so I got hold of a few of her books. One of them being 'The Lightworkers' Way'. I devoured them in the space of a weekend - I simply could not put them down! The spiritual concepts she discussed in her books seemed too far-fetched and way too unrealistic for me. If you think positively, good things will be attracted to you - life can't be that simple - or can it? Since I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, I thought I might as well give the angels a chance. Afterall, if it didn't work out, I could always go back to my old ways of thinking.

Five years on, I'm still invoking angelic guidance in different areas of my life. I have learned to be calmer, to think more positively and be more comfortable in my own skin. I trust my intuition more and find it easier to let go of patterns and bahaviours which no longer serve me. I've had my ups and downs, and there were times when I thought the angels have left me! But I know that your angels are always with you. We are all here to learn various life lessons. There will be times when we feel out-of-balanced by life's challenges. When I encounter disagreeable people, I try to identify what it is that I find annoying in that person, because that person is merely mirroring a part of me that I need to work on. This may sound impossible but the answer is to send positive energy to that person (instead of thinking evil thoughts!)

Thank you Athena for bringing the angels to me:)

The Land of Dreams

I receive many messages from my dreams. I see it as my subconscious trying to communicate with me. The key is to understand the symbols being presented. I like to pose questions before I go to bed and see what messages I get.

When I have dreams of teeth/hair falling out, I know my stress level is on the rise. Dreams of looking for toilets are when I need to eliminate thoughts/ideas/emotions which no longer serve me.

I often dream of waiting on a platform for a train. The train can represent a journey/project/opportunity. Sometimes the train doesn't turn up (which means the project I have in mind isn't really for me); sometimes the train is late (the opportunity will come but later than wished); sometimes I board the train and find that it's full (not my time to go after whatever adventure I had in mind); and sometimes I find a seat (perfect timing at last!). I also have dreams of rushing from one platform to another, fearing I might miss my train (anxious about what to do next and if it's too late to do it).

I once had a dream of a house (buildings represent you and rooms inside different aspects of yourself). I was looking at the cellar full of seeds which began to geminate and grow, so quickly that each plant pushed through the floorboards and into the living room on the ground floor. The message is quite obvious, ideas residing in the depths of my subsconscious are frantically wanting to burst into the open!

The Power of Positive Affirmations

In the Summer of 2006, I was plagued by a skin rash which stayed with me for 8 months. During this time, I went to see my GP, who gave me some ineffective tablets after the blood tests returned all clear. I also went to see a Chinese herbalist and was on bitter medicine for 8 months. Unfortunately, my condition progressively worsened. Not only did I have a nasty rash on my thighs, it eventually crawled all the way down to my toes and up my body and arms. The strange thing was that this mostly happened in the evenings. Besides my rash, I also suffered from painful swollen joints in my fingers, elbows, knees and ankles. I was in such agony that at one point, I was having trouble with getting dressed! Since the blood test came back fine, I knew that whatever symptoms I was getting were no cause for concern.

But why was it happening to me?

I then remembered coming across a book called 'You Can Heal Your Life' by Louise Hay a few years back in a bookshop. I recalled seeing a dictionary inside the book explaining the reasons for manifesting certain physical symptoms and illnesses. So I got hold of a copy and found that my skin condition may have been related to 'small, hidden fears; anxiety; old buried guck; feeling threatened'. Louise Hay then suggested instilling new thought patterns, e.g. 'I bring peace to every corner of my life, I lovingly protect myself with thoughts of joy and peace. The past is forgiven and forgotten. I am free in this moment.' Targeting the problem in isolation didn't produce the result I desired, so I read the whole book instead. I was so glad I did because I learned from Louise Hay's research that self-acceptance is the ultimate key to a happy and fulfilling life. How can you expect others and the universe to deliver goodness to you when you feel you don't deserve anything good in your life?

I now check my dictionary when my body is unwell to see what my body is trying to tell me. I believe any illness is a sign that something is not in order.

Some of my favourite affirmations from Louise Hay:

The past is over, so it has no power now. The thoughts of THIS moment create my future. (Perfect when I do something stupid and couldn't get it out of my system. This helps to remind myself that what's done is done - move on!)

Everyone in my life has something to teach me. We have a purpose in being together. (Ever feel like strangling that annoying relative/work colleague/family member/friend? I like to think that they are mirroring a part of me that I need to become aware of. It's all a learning experience. Again, be forgiving, extract the lesson and move on!).

Today, no person, place or thing can irritate or annoy me. I choose to be at peace. (This may be hard to initially comprehend but when someone irritates you, YOU allow that person to do that to you.)

I am a magnet for money. Prosperity of every kind is drawn to me. (People tend to think that there isn't enough money to go around and that we have to compete for money. Babies are being born every second, would you think 'Oh no! More people using up the oxygen!' We don't think that because we know there's enough air to sustain everyone. Guess what, it's the same with money, there truly is enough for everyone, but we unintentionally block its flow to us because we may think we don't deserve it or that we feel guilty about being too materialistic - money is just an energy exchange (admittedly, it took me a long time to accept this!)). I release all resistance to money, and I now allow it to flow joyously into my life.

I let go of all negativity that rests in my body and mind.

I am willing to learn, the more I learn, the more I grow.

No matter how old I am, I can always learn more, and I do so with confidence.

I accept others as they are, and they in turn, accept me.

A Closer Look At Our Chakras

We have many chakras, or energy centres, within us. Changes in our diet, lifestyle and emotions can bring about an imbalance, which, overtime, may manifest into physical or mental symptoms.

Here are the 7 major chakras:

Red: Root chakra is located at the base of the spine. This is related to basic survival needs such as personal safety and finances.

Orange: Sacral chakra is located between the navel and the base of the spine. This is related to emotions and sensuality.

Yellow: Solar Plexus is located between the bottom of the ribcage and the navel. This is related to personal energy and power.

Green: Heart chakra is located in the centre of the chest. This is related to love and relationships.

Light Blue: Throat chakra is located at the base of the throat. This is concerned with communication, creativity and speaking the truth.

Dark Blue: Brow chakra, or Third eye is located in the centre of the forehead. This is concerned with intuition, insight and imagination.

Purple: Crown chakra is located just above the top of the head. This is concerned with connecting with the Divine energy.

And of course, we are enveloped by our aura.

I find that when I'm feeling low for no obvious reasons, or if I'm getting a skin rash, headaches or a stiff neck, I know immediately that my body is trying to tell me something is wrong, either it be a negative thought or emotion, or that my diet needs to be changed. I truly believe that your body never lies. Look after it, give it adequate rest and exercise, feed it healthy foods and think positive thoughts:)