Perfect

Perfect - Defined as:
- conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type
- excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement
- exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose
- entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings
- accurate, exact, or correct in every detail:
- expert; accomplished; proficient.

When do we start trying to be Perfect?  Is it when we are young and start school and try to get everything right so that we get some gold stars and be "good"?  Is it when we are teenagers and start comparing ourselves to other people in our class, stars on television, models in the magazines?  Is it when we start working and there is the pressure to know all the answers and act like we are great at every part of our job (especially since we try so hard at the interview to impress and 'act' like we will be Perfect for the role)?  Is it when we become Wives and fall 'victim' to the 'Perfect HouseWife Syndrome'?

I am about to become a Wife again and a big Part of me wants to be the Perfect HouseWife.

I remember years ago - years and years ago - when I bought my first home with a boyfriend, a man I thought I was going to marry.  I loved our house.  And I was keen to make it a home.  I wanted it to be Perfect.  After a few months, my boyfriend broke up with me - he said I was like 'Betty Crocker' and he wasn't ready to settle down, he wanted to travel and party and stay young - he wasn't ready.

And then years later I got married and my ex-husband was happy for me to be his Wife.  And I wanted to be Perfect.  And I struggled to be Perfect.  As a couple we were far from Perfect.  And in my Self I was searching to be Perfect, to find the Perfect career to make me happy.  And I had a lot of stuff - I remember that one of our bedrooms of our three bedroom home, the study, was a mess, and I would always quickly shut the door if we had visitors.  I hated that I wasn't Perfect.  And then the imperfections became  very clear as our marriage started falling apart and I started falling apart.  And this was a long time ago.

And now I am getting married again - and I can't wait!!!  It feels very different this time.  Last time, I remember 6 weeks before the wedding and I was worried about sending out the wedding invitations and I spent a lot of time thinking and justifying in my mind why I should get married - while my Intuition, my 'gut' feel, was yelling out to me - and I didn't take notice.  Now I pay attention to my Intuition and I am so Grateful that now every part of me knows that my marriage to be will be wonderful - our relationship is wonderful.  What I love about being with My Man most is that I can be Me.  I also love that I do not have to be Perfect.  And I love that My Man is Perfect to me.  We are both imperfectly Perfect.  We accept all Parts of each other. Our love is Perfect.  How Perfect that I can be my ImPerfect Self and be loved by My Man.

As a Coach I am always on the look out for my Clients' Perfectionists, who may be stopping my Clients from moving forward in achieving their Dreams.  In working with my Clients I help them access other Parts of Self so that they can set and achieve their Goals.

And so I ask my Self - what is the role of the Perfectionist in our lives?  What is the role of the Perfectionist in my life?  I know from my Training and experience that there is a Gift to every Part within our Self.  As I Dream about being a Perfect Wife I wonder what is the message here for me?

Just today I have been thinking about what I want to achieve before we get married - apart from having a Perfect Wedding Day.  I have set my Self some Goals that are important to me: 

- Clean my Study (so much paperwork and clutter)

- Organise my Superannuation

- Clean and organise and de-clutter my garage (again). 

Perhaps the Gift of my Perfectionist is that this Part of me is reminding me of what needs to be done to clear clutter and Create Space in my home and in my mind.  And it is easy to be motivated to achieve these Goals as I know that I will feel very happy.  I always feel good after housework - I actually enjoy cleaning.  Now it is time to make more time for our home and my personal finances - it is time to get done what is important to me -  to treat these as Priorities in my life. 

It is my Mum and Dad's 43rd Wedding Anniversary today - which is beautiful.  I feel bad that I am not the Perfect Daughter as I have had such a busy week and day that I forgot that today was their special day - and now I am justifying and finding excuses.  And I am happy that my Mum and Dad had a lovely day out today - that is most important - and so it doesn't matter if I wasn't Perfect in my own eyes - what is most Perfect is that I love my Mum and Dad so much and they love me.

I love that I have such wonderful role models of marriage from my Mum and Dad.  And I do think that my Mum and Dad are both Perfect.  And My Man and I will be Perfect in our own way, in our unique way.

And as I think about my upcoming marriage I do believe that things will be different - I want things to be different.  I know that I will feel different.  We have lived together for a year now and yet I know for me marriage is different.  Some people say that when they get married it is no different from living together.  And yet I know it will be different, I want it to be different.  Getting married for me is a very BIG deal, especially after I have been previously married and it did not work.  I believe that I will feel different.  And I want the exterior to also be different - and so I want to do a BIG clean up before we get married.  It has been challenging moving 2 x 2 bedroom homes into 1 unit - and that is just an excuse.

I think that I have been so against being Perfect, that I have been too Relaxed.  And I have loved the Relaxed Part of me - it lets me relax on the lounge and watch my favourite shows after having a busy day at work.  And now it is time to bring the Organiser Part of me onto the Stage of my life and help me achieve my Goals before I get married - and I don't have to be Perfect.

I need to remind my Self - I don't have to be Perfect.

I don't want to be like the women in 'Stepford Wives' - I just want to be My Self.

Now that I am a Life Coach, working with Clients to create a life that they Love, I often challenge my Self - shouldn't I be Perfect and have every area of my life at a 10 out of 10?  Sometimes this is what I ask my Self - and then I remind my Self that I do not have to be Perfect - that, like my Clients, I am also on a Journey and I am learning and growing.  What I can promise my Self and my Coaching Clients is that I am committed to Self-Reflection, Self-Awareness and Self-Development.  With this promise and knowing I can be less Perfect and more accepting and more loving to my Self.

Stop

Stop - that's what I need to do when I decide to eat chocolate.  I have to Stop eating chocolate!

Growing up I loved chocolate.  It was always a special treat on the day my Mum went shopping, where she would buy a block of chocolate or we would get some dairy milk rolls as a special treat.  And then at school, I loved eating strawberry freddos.  I always liked chocolate.  And then I became super serious with my running, and for a long time, maybe around 5-7 years, I didn't eat any chocolate or any sugar or any cakes or any treats.  I loved that I was so disciplined and I felt healthy in some ways - and in other ways my diet was so extreme that it was stressful, especially since I was also vegan.

And so I started becoming more flexible with my diet.  Now my preference is vegetarian, although I do eat fish.  And since I met My Man I started eating Lindt chocolate.  And yet the truth is that even though I like chocolate, every time I eat it, I feel sick.  I thought that it may be me feeling guilty that I was eating chocolate and yet I eat it so rarely that I do not feel guilty - I just feel sick.  I eat chocolate, I definitely enjoy the chocolate, and then within a short period of time I get a headache, stomach ache and my legs start aching - I then lie in bed feeling sick.  And often the next day I wake up with a chocolate hangover - feeling heavy and tired and sick.  And I know all of this, and I still, from time to time, maybe once a week or once a fortnight, decide to eat chocolate.

The last two nights I have had chocolate.  And it might not sound like a big deal, considering I don't eat chocolate very much - yet it is a big deal, given that it makes me feel sick - I feel that I am allergic to something in chocolate - and I know it, and I still eat it.  The good news is, that I haven't really had much chocolate since Christmas, and so I know it is not an addiction and I know I can give it up - and I want to Stop eating it - to best look after my Self.

And I am aware that eating chocolate or sweets can often be linked to our emotional state - and I have definitely had two huge and challenging days at work - and I am conscious of eating chocolate - and often it is because I like the taste, and then the delight is very quickly replaced with regret.

I've been reading 'The Best Year Of Your Life' by Debbie Ford, an amazing book, and I love the poem by Portia Nelson, which illustrates how we "keep engaging in the same behaviours over and over again".

- "I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in... it's a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

I walk down another street."


I love this poem.  I feel Inspired when I read the words.  And I could definitely relate to the words, particularly for previous relationships that did not serve me.  And now for chocolate.  It makes no sense to me why I continue to eat chocolate, even if it is only every now and then, when it moves me away from my preferred happy and healthy Self - and so I am making the commitment to Stop.

My Strategy is to make sure I pause before taking a piece of chocolate, and in that moment I will imagine a Stop sign - as well as projecting forward and remembering how unwell I will be if I eat the chocolate. 

I am also Excited that I am getting married in 8.5 weeks and I also plan to Visualise my Self in my Yellow Dress, as I want to feel my best.  As we are also trying for a baby, which is SO important to me, I am also planning to imagine keeping my body healthy and strong for our beautiful baby.

By writing this Post, I am showing all of me, including my imperfections  - which is interesting, as I have continued to eat chocolate every now and then so that I am not being so strict on my Self and not being too perfect.  In Coaching, I am often on the look out for the Perfectionist Part of my Clients that sabotage Self-Esteem and can affect our achieving of our Dreams - and yet I need to get real - eating chocolate does not serve me.  I am using this Space to detail my Goal of not eating any chocolate at all anymore, and to also hold my Self Accountable to my Self.

Of course I have also asked My Man for support and asked him not to offer me any chocolate or buy me any chocolate, and to also tackle me if I make my way to the fridge to have some of his chocolate.  Time for me to be focused and Stop.  It's that simple.  And instead of chocolate I will choose a peppermint tea which I always enjoy and makes me feel relaxed and at peace.

Living Your Dreams

I love books.  I love reading.  I have been reading self-development and spiritual books since I was 21.  I remember I had just finished my degree, I had a great job in the city and I had just broken up from my boyfriend of 4 years.  I had spent 3 years reading text books, read a novel over the Christmas holidays and then I discovered a love of reading these life changing books.  This is where my boyfriend and I were different, he did not share my passion for personal development.

Of course, I wish I had have put everything I learnt into action - as I have stumbled and made many mistakes.  I often laugh that I did a course on decision making and yet over the last 20 years, I  have made (what seems) many bad decisions - and yet this has been my life journey.  And it is my life journey that gives me such deep empathy and compassion for my Clients. 

It is my commitment to lifelong learning and also my life journey that serves me now as I am stepping out in the world as a Life Coach.  I love reading books that will continually enrich my knowledge and it is my commitment to apply what I am learning to my own life and also help me in serving my Clients.

Among the books that I am currently reading (and loving), is 'Living Your Dreams' by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen - a brilliant book!  I love the Inscription on the first page of the book - “We dedicate this book to everyone who has had the courage and commitment to pursue their most heartfelt dreams with passion and perseverance.  By your example you have shown the rest of us that whatever you desire, believe in, and pursue with love, joy and determination is possible to achieve.”

I was given this book to my friend in November 2003 - inside the books is a message from my friend "Dear Kath, Go For It!"  This was given to me when I was leaving a Marketing Job – deciding I wanted to move out of the corporate world and move away from working on products to working with people.  This was 7 years ago - the magic number 7.

I just love the beginning of the book - it talks about "How To Live Your Dream" and gives 10 Steps - many of which are explored in the Coaching Process:
- Step 1. Decide What You Want - "You must first decide WHAT you want, before your brain can figure out HOW to get it."  I really love "The Genie in the Lamp" where you can imagine that a Genie appears before you and grants you three wishes in all of the key areas of your life.

- Step 2. Believe in Yourself: Use Positive Self-Talk - "Eliminate any negative and limiting belief, learn to control your self-talk, and maintain a constant state of positive expectations."  This is a big area in Coaching, helping Clients let go of their inner critic and help Clients embrace new and positive beliefs and attitudes.

- Step 3. Build on Your Core Genius - I LOVE THIS PART, I love these words - "Everyone is born with a unique set of talents and abilities - what we refer to as your areas of brilliance or your core genius." - I really love working with people in finding their life purpose and to express their unique gifts in the world.

- Step 4. Build an Awesome Dream Team Alliance - "A Dream Team Alliance is two or more individuals who voluntarily come together to creatively put their energy behind a definite purpose." - I definitely believe in the power of the Dream Teams and I will be offering Group Coaching opportunities next year.  Now that I am newly engaged I am also Excited to create a Dream Team with My Man, especially now as we are planning our wedding and our life together

- Step 5. Visualise and Affirm Your Desired Outcomes - I love what is written in the book about Visualisation - "Visualisation activates your creative subconscious, which will start generating creative ideas to help you achieve your goal; Visualisation programs your brain to more readily perceive and recognise the resources you will need to achieve your Dreams; Visualisation activates the Law Of Attraction, thereby drawing into your life the people, resources and circumstances you will need to achieve your Goals; Visualisation builds your internal motivation to take the necessary actions needed to accomplish your Dreams."  I am really Excited that I will be running Vision Board Workshops from January 2011 which are designed to help Clients create a Visual representation of their Dreams.

- Step 6. Act to Create It - This part of the book reinforces the importance of taking ACTION - "We recommend making the commitment to do something every day in at least three different areas of your life that moves you in the direction of your Dreams."  I also like the part that states "One of the secrets of success is to start acting like a success before you are one.  Act as if."

- Step 7. Respond to Feedback - I like the reference to Thomas Edison "reported to have tried more than two thousand different experiments that failed before he finally got the light bulb to work" - "If you can adopt that attitude, then you can be free to take an action, notice what result you get, and then adjust your next actions based on the feedback you get."  The book encourages readers to - Ask others for feedback, ask yourself for feedback, ask your higher self, your inner wisdom for guidance and feedback.  One of my favourite parts of Coaching is helping Clients access and trust their own answers and insights.

- Step 8. Never Give Up: The Power of Determination - "After taking ACTION, the most important quality you will need to develop in order to live your Dreams is persistence.  You must be persistent in your disciplines and habits; perseverant in the face of adversity, hardship and challenge; and determined to achieve your dreams no matter what."  Working with a Coach can offer you support during these challenging times, helping you overcome any obstacles and staying true to yourself and your Dreams.

- Step 9.  Celebrate Your Victories and Give Thanks -  I really love working with Clients to acknowledge and celebrate their Wins.  I also love that the book talks about having an "Attitude of Gratitude" and rewarding our inner child (yes, I must book a massage this week - planning an hour and a half luxury massage in my last week of College to reward myself).

- Step 10. Give Something Back - "The best way to ensure an ongoing flow of abundance into your life is to share with others the wealth you receive."  I also believe in helping others who are less fortunate than ourselves.  I am passionate about helping children and communities living in poverty, with $5 from every Coaching Session donated to Plan Australia http://www.plan.org.au/

I love quotes - here is a great quote from 'Living Your Dreams' -
"Take the first step in faith.
You don't have to see the whole staircase.
Just take the first step."
Martin Luther King Jr.

Celebrating Uniqueness

One of my favourite parts of being a Coach is recognising and Celebrating Uniqueness - hearing what makes my Clients Excited and helping them express their Unique Gifts in the world.

It has been wonderful at College the last few weeks - although we have all been studying the same Course, we all have a sense of our own Unique Purpose - how exciting to hear what Excites and Inspires different people.  How wonderful to see people in touch with what makes them SHINE, and so Excited to share their Gifts.  I loved last week hearing about my friend Christie who is so passionate about nutrition and so talented in her raw food creations - she is truly amazing!! And another woman from College is so passionate about Wellness and helping people in the area of Health.

And as I watch 'X-Factor' tonight, it is clear that Altiyan Childs is definitely expressing his Uniqueness - he started his first band when he was 12 and is currently a forklift driver and had almost given up his dream of becoming a musician.  He has a Gift.

We all have a Gift.

However, from the time we start school we are taught to fit in, wearing our uniforms, learning the rules, learning all of the subjects that will make us "successful".  Through school and inparticular through our teenage years, we try to be like everyone else - to "fit in".  We feel the pressure of friends, parents, society.  And in doing so this can often be the undoing of our self-esteem and confidence as we move away from being true to ourselves.
  

Then we have to make a decision what to do after school, or find ourselves in a job that does not make us happy, or find ourselves redundant or returning to the workforce and trying to work out what to do.  Not to mention experiencing financial pressures and sometimes making Choices, that we feel we have to make, to pay the bills or "pull the sled" for the family.

And there is the stress of working out what to do and how to make this possible.  This is where a Life Coach can help in Celebrating Uniqueness and putting your Dreams into Action.

My belief is that we are all here for a reason, that we have a Life Purpose, a Calling.  I love the part in 'Wishcraft' Barbara Sher - Imagine that Your Gifted Child Within You was...
- Treated as though You had a unique kind of genius that was loved and respected...
- Told that You could do and be anything you wanted...
- Told that You would be loved and admired no matter what it was...
- Given real help and encouragement in finding out what You wanted to do and how to do it...
- Encouraged to explore all Your own talents and interests, even if they changed from day to day...
- Allowed to complain when the going got rough, and given sympathy instead of being told to quit...
- Surrounded by Winners who were pleased when You won.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING NOW?
WHAT WOULD YOU ALREADY HAVE DONE?
WHAT KIND OF PERSON WOULD YOU BE?

As a Life Coach I love Celebrating Uniqueness, Celebrating a Client's Greatness.  Some of the areas and questions include:

- Who Are You? 

- Highlights from the Past - asking such questions as "Recall times when you have so absorbed in what you were doing that you hardly noticed the time.  What were you doing?'

- Highlighting Your Passions - "What makes your heart sing?', What do you enjoy doing when you're not working? - Also - What exciting topic (s) would keep you talking late into the night?"

- Changing the World - "If you could share one bit of wisdom with the whole world, what would it be?", "Imagine yourself at the end of your life looking back - is there a dream in you of serving or helping others or making a positive difference in a certain area?"

Some of my favourite questions are:

- "If you were financially independent and money was not a factor, what kind of work would you do?"

- "If you could wave a magic wand and know you could not fail, what would you do?"

Coaching can offer you a chance to find a Career that has Heart and Meaning for you with the opportunity to look at your Special Qualities, your Talents, your Passions.  Coaching also offers you the opportunity to take steps to express your Purpose.

If you would like to wake up feeling Excited that you are living your life on Purpose, please call Kath, SHINE Coaching 0416 285 687.

You may be a school leaver, trying to work out what to do next... or you may have been recently made redundant or a Mum returning to the workforce... or perhaps you are unhappy in your job and finding it hard to be motivated day in and day out.

THINK BIG!!!  LOVE YOUR LIFE!!!  EXPRESS THE TRUE YOU IN THE WORLD!!!

* And I would like to dedicate this to my friend Julie who has ALWAYS been an Inspiration to me and is living her Life Purpose, stepping into a new Career that she loves - Congratulations Juls x

Choice and Commitment

I've been having a lot of Dreams lately - they seem so real that I wake up in a daze.

The other night I had this Dream that I was getting married and I was trying to do this dance routine, like a show, and I wasn't marrying My Man.  The Dream was just on me, I did not see the groom in the Dream - and yet I had such a strong feeling of sadness that My Man wasn't the groom.  In the Dream I just wanted to be slow dancing with My Man.  When I woke up, I was so relieved to see that it was a Dream and that My Man was sleeping next to me.  Phew!!!

This morning I had another strange Dream that was very confusing.  I had a very restless night, I was up and down all night, feeling very sick in the stomach.  When I finally did get to sleep I had this Dream that I was going to ring up sick and in the Dream I couldn't work out who I had to call.  I couldn't work out if I was at school, I thought I was in Year 7 and that I had to ring a Teacher, then I had this fear in my stomach that I was in Year 12 and better start studying for the HSC, and then I realised I was working and I couldn't work out where I worked and who was my boss that I needed to call.  No wonder I have had a headache today.

I always love the words of wisdom and quotes that I receive every morning and yesterday I received these quotes
- “Take the world as it is, not as it ought to be." – German Proverb –
- "Instead of trying to change the world into what it ought to be, accept it as it is, instead of trying to change who you are into who you ought to be, accept yourself as you are. Then you will realise that the parts of your life and yourself that you had been trying to change into what they ought to be were only the parts of yourself that you had not yet loved the way you ought to love.  The UNIVERSE"

These quotes allow me the freedom to be okay with not feeling 120%.  Today in feeling at about 60%, I allowed myself the opportunity for Self-Care.  I gave my Self permission to have a sick day off work and rang my Boss.  I take the Commitment of my work seriously and yet when it comes to Choice and Commitment for today, I choose to Honour my Self.  I enjoyed the opportunity to crawl back into bed and slept for a few hours.  I feel so much better after sleeping.

And then I had another Dream.  My Soul is definitely sending me messages.  I had a Dream that My Man and I had a disagreement and then he left and then I called him only to find that he didn't pick up the phone, he must have bumped the phone and so I could just hear him in the background.  In the background he was buying an airline ticket and I didn't know where he was going and he couldn't hear me, and I was yelling out and he still couldn't hear me.  I was also relieved to wake up from that Dream by My Man ringing me to see how I was feeling.

I'm still feeling less than 100% and I'm okay to just be real with how I am today.  I am also learning to be in relationship and in love in the everyday and in the realness.  We had such a fantastic day on our engagement and I am a woman in love and I can also say that this is a Choice and Commitment that I choose to Honour, even on the days when we are both feeling less than 100%.

I have baggage from my Past, given that I have been married before and engaged another time.  I have had almost had a fear of whether I could take this big step again.  And yet when I have uneasy feelings of my Past, I see an image of boxes that are all packed up and I remind myself that I can leave the boxes closed.

This is my chance to Design my Life.  And I am glad that My Man is the one in my life, the one in my everyday.  I'm glad that my recent Dreams are not Dreams come true - if anything they made me feel terrible at the prospect of not having my Man in my life.

It was great when My Man got home from work.  It was great to go for a walk outside together.  I love being outside.  This is my medicine.  I love walking out by the beach and we are delighted to see the moon over the ocean - what a beautiful sight - the sky is a pinky blue colour.  At this time I wished I had my camera to capture the beauty.  We take a moment and capture the beauty in our mind's eye.  By the time we get home, the sun has set and we look back and see the glow of the full moon.  I just love being outside.

Another positive part of my evening was also running to an old friend from school - he is now married and due to have his first child any day now.  One of my favourite parts of living where we do, is running into people around the local Community.  I love being in Connection and Conversations.

As I reflect on today I wonder what Archetypes naturally came into my world today.  I definitely felt my Sage this morning when I made the decision regarding Self-Care.   I love having my Sage as a Resource.

My Sage activated my Caregiver Archetype - choosing to give Care to my Self.

I also reflect on the questions - What has changed?  What I am consciously applying in my day?  I feel that I am bringing myself back to the Present moment and out of my mind by consciously bringing in the image of my Yellow Heart.  If I am triggered to go into my Past, I am able to bring in the image of boxes that are packed up and this brings me back to the Present moment, rather than wasting mental or emotional energy on my Past.  I am also able to be Present and Real to what is, in my own feelings and in my relationship.  This is allowing me the opportunity to sit still in the moment.

I am happy to love and be loved at a deep level - to feel the bond at a deep level.  In my Heart, I have such a strong sense that there is nowhere else I would rather be - I have a sense of being at Home with My Man.  And it is also a Choice and Commitment that I make on a daily basis, in the sunshine, in the rain, on cloudy days, when flowers are blooming.  My Mum and Dad have been married 42 years and I have such great role models of Marriage and Commitment.  I am Grateful for my Man and I am very glad that we can both be real.  I especially love holding hands with My Man - it is the small things that are the BIG things.

Today I am Grateful to be able to go out walking with my Man, I am Grateful for extra sleep, I am Grateful for peppermint tea, I am Grateful for My Man making me dinner, I am Grateful to enjoy the beautiful sight of the full moon.  I am very Grateful that my Dad came home from hospital.  And I am Grateful that I can sit in the Space of not feeling 100% Fantastic.   And I am Grateful that I am learning to hold the Paradox of Dark and Light.

Holding The Paradox

There is so much that I am learning.  There is so much that I am wanting to apply in my own life and as areas to bring into the Consciousness of my Coaching Clients.  There is so much that I am naturally applying in my own life and I love the opportunity for Self-Reflection to see what is working and new opportunities for growth.

Often it is just the Awareness and the bringing into Consciousness that can create HUGE Shifts.  For me I have been Consciously bringing myself into a State of being Present (more often, most often), being more in Body, and less caught in my Thinking or Feelings.  Being in my Body is my resting place - and from here I am Guided by my Intuition.  When I am resting in my Body, being Present, I feel that I am in my Soul's Home, My Yellow Heart.  The image of My Yellow Heart always brings me back to this place.  When I find myself Overthinking or getting caught up in the Past or be in my Worrying Shadow - I bring in the image of My Yellow Heart, and I come back into being Present in the Now.  This Awareness and Consciousness is changing my life.

In this place of My Yellow Heart, I am able to experience and enjoy Holding The Paradox.   This is a new Concept for me, so simple and so Powerful.  I can hold the Dark AND the Light.  It is no longer about quickly shifting from the Dark to the Light, or just staying in the Dark, or there being just Dark OR Light.  When I am Holding The Paradox, it is not about 'but', it is about using the word 'AND' - using it from a genuine, felt sense, heartfelt place.  When I am Holding the Paradox, I am in Balance - there is one hand Holding the Dark and one hand Holding the Light.  In My Yellow Heart I am Grounded and I am filled with Spirit, I am in my Strength and Authentic Power and Truth.  I am not just saying the words I can have a strong sense and feeling of Holding The Paradox.

In my Life I feel comfortable Feeling into my Emotions, being Present to my Emotions.  By Being in my Body I can feel at a gut level what is real for me, not what I Think I am Feeling.  And as I sit in my Emotions, sometimes sadness or pain, I can also Hold the knowing that there is Light and Joy.

I am Holding The Paradox in many Areas of my Life right now.  Paradox defined -
" A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true: the paradox that standing is more tiring than walking."
- "An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises."

I can be in pain and sadness AND feel Happy and Grateful.  I can feel a sense of isolation and aloneness AND a strong sense of Love and Connection.  I can feel a sense of being stuck AND know I can take a step and start to move.

By Holding the Paradox, I do not feel distressed or weighed down or overwhelmed.  Especially when it comes to my loved one - right now I am Holding The Paradox of concern about my Parents and my Man who are all sick AND believing that they are getting the care and medical attention that is required and the Love and Light from me.  By Holding The Paradox I do not waste mental or emotional energy that does not serve me or serve the situation - instead, I can be fully Present to what is needed on a day to day, needs by needs basis.

I am Holding The Paradox that I am not earning as much money as my previous Management Career AND I can Trust and be Excited that I have found my Lifework as a Coach.  

I am Holding The Paradox that my work Monday-Wednesday does not make my heart sing and does not utilise all of my Strengths and Skills AND I am Grateful to work close to home and be busy in my job without a feeling of stress.

I am Holding The Paradox of there is so much still to learn and embrace AND I have learnt and grown so much.

I am Holding The Paradox of feeling less fit and not being able to run AND I can enjoy Walking and Yoga and a more relaxed pace of exercise.

I am Holding The Paradox of feeling I have so much to organise in my Home and garage and clutter to clear AND I am taking steps every day to create a Happy Home.

I am Holding The Paradox of day to day living with my Man and whatever that brings us in our day AND the Excitement of a deep and loving bond and wonderful times for our Future.

I am Holding The Paradox of being tired AND energised with all of my Dreams that I want to fit more into my day.

By Holding The Paradox I am Holding and Acknowledging the realness and the Truth AND I am also Holding a Light, Holding and Acknowledging being Grateful, holding Hope, holding my Dreams.

I can be Present to both Light AND Dark.  I can Hold both Light AND Dark.

In this Space of Holding both, I am neither Light or Dark.  I am at Peace.  In My Yellow Heart I am Love and Light.  And from this Space, I can draw in my Sage, my Wise Self.  My Sage is my Resource, infused with energy of God and Spirit, filled with rays of energy, helping me for my Highest  Good.  My Sage is Present when I am Acting, Speaking and Being in Wisdom.  While I am Still when I am Holding The Paradox, my Sage can help guide me towards my Next Steps.

And in my Purpose to Spread The Yellow, I am Holding The Paradox of:

- I am only one AND still I am one
- I cannot do everything AND still I can do something.

I am Holding The Paradox of wanting to rush out and get busy with Action and 'To Do' Lists AND  allowing space, living in the flow and trusting the Universe to show me the way.  I am asking God to show me the way and show me how I can live my Purpose to Spread The Yellow each and every day in the big and small ways.  By Holding The Paradox, this allows me more mental and emotional energy, more freedom, to be in the right Space to Love and Serve others.

And now it is time for me to wash up - one of the simple ways I can Spread The Yellow in my Home (since my Man hates washing up).  And then time for bed - Self-Care.

Commitment

'Commitment' is the word that has been coming up for me in the last few days - just the sense of Naming my Commitments and Honouring my Commitments.

Yesterday and today my Organiser Archetype has been in Action, with my To Do Lists, getting things done. And by being in Yang ACTION mode I do feel good about myself, I feel a sense of Achievement.  I have been organising my tax, health appointments and an Advertisement for my Coaching Business.  I have made a Commitment to get more Organised, so that I feel more Empowered in my Life.  

This morning, as I was lying in bed, I had a look at my Values on the wall and Commitment is one of my Values.  I love having my Values on my wall - they guide me for my day and for my life.

As I was lying in bed and enjoying lying in bed, I see the words Commitment and Health.  I am choosing to Name and Honour my Commitment to my Health.  Recently I was shocked to complete a Wheel Of Life Activity and have a sense that my Health is only at a 2 out of 10.  I was looking at my Wheel Of Life on 1 July 2010, knowing that I still had 6 months left of 2010, I wanted to put my own Dreams into ACTION.  I am SO HAPPY that I am now going to Yoga - I have a Commitment to go to Yoga at least once a week - and I love it.  I love the feeling of stretching and strengthening my body, I just love it!!!  After Yoga, I was very relaxed sitting at home on the couch and I was very very tempted to have some chocolate - and yet I have made a Commitment to not eat sweets during the week.  I am not sure what changed for me, I never used to eat chocolate, sweets, cakes.  I am glad that I am more relaxed and yet I need to Balance this with my Commitment to my Best Health. 

Thanks to my Commitment to Yoga, the last two Thursday nights I have slept so well, sleeping through the whole night.  Getting enough sleep is also important to me.

Nature is also on my list of Values, and while I could have stayed in bed longer, I felt Inspired to get up and go for a walk.  By having a Commitment to my Health, it is easy to make a decision to get moving and get active.  

As I go for a walk, I see some runners pass me and I always have the same response, a feeling of 'I wish I was Running'.  Every time I see a runner or hear a story about Running from a friend, this feeling is always present for me.  I love Running.  I have tried other activities such as Paddling and love the idea of Swimming - and yet I always come back to my love of Running.  And yet I have made a Commitment that starting a family within the next 6-12 months is a Priority for me and so I have decided to just enjoy Walking so that I can be painfree in my back and neck.  I know that I will be Running again one day and so for now I enjoy Walking.  I love the sense of peace that comes with Walking, especially when I am in Nature.

I love Gunnamatta Park, it is one of my favourite places.  My Soul feels at home here.  I just love the Trees and the quiet.  I love being outdoors, especially at Gunnamatta Park.  I feel a sense of Connection with Nature.  I love feeling a sense of Connection with Trees.  I am drawn to a tall tree and I have a sense of the Tree's Wisdom.  I put my hand on the Tree and listen to the whisper of the words that I feel inside of me.  I wait.  I have a sense of the following words - "Be", "You are here", "You are here!!!", "Follow the signs".

I feel a sense of stillness.  These words speak to me.  I have a sense that due to the nature of Coaching and the moving forward, I am often looking forward and setting Goals and wanting to take the Next Steps and in  hearing these words "You are here" I have a feeling of Relief, Peace, Rejoice, Celebration - "I AM HERE" - WOW!!!  I say to myself "Wow, I AM HERE, look where I AM".  I have so much to be Grateful for right now - after years and years of being unhappy in my Career and wanting to work with people and be a helper and healer - I AM HERE - I am a Coach now.  This is a new Journey and I am still learning and growing and yet I Am Here - I can be happy with where I am right now.  Yes, I want to grow my Business and work with more Clients and be more Active in running Workshops and Group Coaching and today I also have a sense of being a Teacher and speaking at Seminars - and these are all possibilities and opportunities.  And this will come.  And I have reassurance in the words "Follow the signs".  I also have a sense of "I AM HERE" in the area of my love relationship - for years and years I have put so much energy into the wrong relationships and this has been my Soul Path and now I AM HERE in a loving relationship - my Man is Home to me - it is a wonderful feeling.  I have a strong Commitment to my relationship with my Man.

I love being in Nature.  I have a strong sense that I want to do outdoor Coaching that may involve Nature Walking and picnic rug style Coaching as well as Group Coaching at Sunrise and also Sunset.  These are just ideas that feel right for me, and my Organiser Archetype has scheduled 2 hours next week to put these and more of my other ideas into writing.  I definitely have a Commitment to grow my Coaching Business.  I love Coaching and working with Clients.  I also have a Commitment to Spread The Yellow in my daily living, in my Coaching and also through my Business.

I also have a Commitment to be in Community and so I enjoy being at the Bookstore today where there are some lovely woman and I love being able to talk about our Spiritual Journeys.  I really enjoying sharing time with them and enjoy a sense of Connection.  I also enjoyed a Meditation at the Bookstore today, guided by one of the healers.  This is the second time I have come to this Mediation Group and I am really enjoying this opportunity.

I always love the opportunity to just connect and relax within.  I have a feeling that I am within my Soul's Home, my Yellow Heart, which is a place of Love and Light, and I am just being "Present and Warm To What Is" - it is really nice to just take time for Meditation.

I love the image above and it captures the sense of my Yellow Heart filled with Light and the rays of Light coming from my Heart.  And I also have a strong sense in my Meditation of rays of Light coming from the Heavens - from God, the Universe, my Angels.

During the Meditation I have a sense of the words "I Am Here" (again here are these words).  And I also have a visual of a Yellow Path, that I will be guided and I just have to "Follow the signs" (these are also the words from my Nature walk this morning).  I love the visual of a Yellow pathway and I hear the words "Trust", "Trust".

I have a Commitment to my Soul Purpose to Spread The Yellow and I am asking for Guidance to show me the signs of my Next Steps.  I do not want to be so in Yang that I am not in tune with my Yin - I want Spirit to speak to me through my Yin and for my Yin to then direct my Yang.

As I Name and Honour my Commitments of my Health, my Man, my Coaching Business and my Purpose to Spread The Yellow, I believe that this will open up more doors and ways for me.  I have a sense that I have to "Be" and "Listen" and "Trust".

I love the following quotes about Commitment -
- “Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” Tom Robbins

- “There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

- “Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the "right stuff" to turn our dreams into reality.” James Womack

- "When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.” - this is how I feel about my Coaching and being in a place of Spread The Yellow - I feel like I am definitely on my Yellow Path, I AM HERE!!!  And as I say these words I am Excited and Delighted, I feel a lightness, a brightness - I AM HERE!!!  And I have a Commitment to follow my Path, even if it is not always Yellow, even if it takes me through the forest or down into the Valleys, I have a sense that my Light will carry and support me on my Journey...

And this afternoon my Man is doing a cleanup and finds some beautiful Christmas decorations that we bought last November and that we had forgotten to display at Christmas.  He brings them out and I love that there is an Angel with a Yellow Heart and also a Golden Butterfly.  They are beautiful and have so much meaning for me.  I decide to bring them into my everyday, rather than just packing them away for Christmas.  I feel the Angel with the Yellow Heart is there to remind me of my Soul Purpose - that my Yellow Heart, at the centre of my being, is filled with Love and Light and is a Gift from God.  This is why I am here, to Spread The Yellow, and God, the Universe and Angels are here to support me.

And the Golden Butterfly also speaks to me - the Butterfly is such a strong symbol of Tranformation.  As I look at the picture of the Golden Butterfly, the Light has created a Shadow - a reminder to me that Life is Light and Dark, Day and Night, Summer and Winter and a reminder to me that I am also Light and Dark.  And as I live in the Light and Upper World, I can make Space to Witness my Shadow and be open to all emotions and open to the messages of my Unconscious... this is my Commitment.

It Is A Gift

I have had a wonderful day today.  I love just being in the Flow of the day.

I had a wonderful morning meeting with my Client.  I LOVE BEING A COACH.  It is such an Honour to sit with a Client and witness Courage, Beauty and Transformation.  I only have one Appointment today and one Client at the moment and yet I am so happy that I am now Coaching and trust that my Business will continue to build and there will be a natural flow of Clients.

I am Grateful for having Space in my day to allow for the magic and mystery and just trusting the flow and following my Intuition.  And it is in this flow that I can enjoy Connection with others.

I love seeing my friend at her Physio Clinic - just to enjoy a brief Connection.  And I love seeing my friend and her lovely little baby and I enjoy just sharing Space and sitting together.  And I love sharing Conversations with the Manager at the Bookstore where I work - I love hearing her stories and hearing her excitement about her dreams.  I love just being in Presence and Connection.  Through my Training in Counselling and Coaching I have learnt to listen, to really listen, to be totally Present with another - and I love listening and I love being totally Present with another.  It Is A Gift - such a beautiful Gift and Honour to have another share their story, their passions, their dreams, their challenges, their emotions - and It Is A Gift to give someone your Presence.

And I love having Space for Connection with My Self.  And time for Connection with Nature. 

It Is A Gift to be Present and in the Moment - therein lies the opportunity for other Gifts - such as the Gift of the beautiful Autumn leaves that were just waiting to be noticed on the pavement and that I brought home in awe of their beauty.  Very easily I could have been lost in the Overthinker Shadow or in my Imagination, and  yet as I was in the NOW, while walking through the mall, these beautiful leaves caught my eye.

I am Grateful that my Man supports my Dreams and he trusts my Journey.  I am Grateful that my Man welcomed me into his home which is now our home, and this has always been my Dream - to love and be loved and be in Union.  His love and support has also helped me step into my Coaching Business.

And I love being an Observer to my own Journey.  Today there are many of my Archetypes that come and go in my day.  My tag line for my Business is "Love Your Life" and yet a big part of my work I am drawn to in Coaching is about helping Clients Love Self, Love Life.  I feel myself in the Lover Archetype - "The Lover is gentle and reaches out gently to others.  Following a loving acceptance of ourselves, we may gently reach out to others, contributing ones unique abilities for the greater good of all.  Helps us transform the fear of losing the taste of living, at the superficiality, cruelty and indifference around us.  Integrating the personality can help us to find a way forward as true human beings, loving and nurturing one another."  I LOVE THESE WORDS and I love that I have a very real sense of Self-Love and a genuine Love of ALL Life and My Life.

I also feel myself in the Creator Archetype today - "Creator - The artist, writer, poet types the maker of Dreams, the inventor that discovers ways of making new things and of unfolding new Dreams.  The Creator Sub-Personality will assist you in making your life less stale, more flowing, in conveying your ideas to others, contributing to the collective Dreams of humanity."  I love being in my Creator.  Today I get an Intuitive Impulse about leading a Self-Development Book Club - it had been an idea I had discussed with the previous owner of the Bookstore, and yet now that I am Coaching from the Clinic at the Bookstore it seems like an opportunity to become more involved in the Community.  The Manager at the Bookstore agrees that it is a perfect fit and we Brainstorm and discuss potential books.  I am feeling Excited and Inspired.  Rather than rushing in and thinking, thinking, thinking, I am just going to sit with the idea for a few days and then I will dedicate some time to think and feel and perhaps enjoy a Meditation to get in touch with the possibilities and then put together some ACTION Steps to make this happen!

When I get home from Coaching with my Client and Conversations with friends, I also Consciously choose my Organiser Yang to come onto the stage of my day.  I am happy that my Yang is helping me with new habits to help me  to stop leaving my clutter in the spare room or on the dining room table.  Even when I am feeling my Yin wanting to be creative and enjoy other Projects, my Organiser keeps me focused to achieve my Goals - even simple things, like putting away my clothes in an organised way in my cupboard or paying bills or making phone calls to organise advertising - my Yang is getting the jobs done for me.  Even when I am tired tonight and I just want to relax on the lounge and watch the DVD that I rented, my Yang Organiser keeps me going to wash up and clean up the kitchen.  And I feel good - even feeling good at completing the most basic of tasks.

And now it is time to relax and just enjoy a movie...  and what a great Gift to give myself... 

Walk In Nature

Another perfect two quotes that were emailed to me this morning

- “As we cultivate peace and happiness in ourselves, we also nourish peace and happiness in those we love.” Thich Nhat Hanh

"If it’s peace and happiness you are looking for Kathryn, you don’t have to look so far for it. It’s not so much out of your hands as you think my dear. It’s right where you are, right where you stand, in this present moment and it’s all up to you. Your natural state is peace Kathryn and you will connect with your natural state when you stop trying to find peace in your environment. Your environment and circumstance are only reflecting to you what you are holding onto within you. Find inner peace, inner happiness and you will reflect peace and happiness in your world. It’s hard to believe isn’t it, that this whole time you could have been peaceful and happy for no reason but because you connected with yourself? The UNIVERSE"

I am tired this morning, up late writing my Blog and watching my favourite TV Shows and yet I am happy to be up and out of bed in time to go outdoors and Walk In Nature.  When looking at my Values (that I have on my bedroom wall), I see that Nature is at the top, even though I did not put these Values into any order or Priority.

It is interesting to me now, that I can see Health under Nature and then Balance and next to Nature is Gratitude and of course Love is always at the Centre.  It is interesting as I feel of Great Health when I am in Nature, and I am always so Grateful of the beautiful Gifts of Nature - the Birds singing, the sunshine, the ocean, the Flowers, the Trees.   Being in Nature also brings Balance in my life - so despite the cold air and the need to get to work - I love my Walk In Nature this morning.

While I walk towards the Bay I am thinking about my Dream from last night.  Initially my Yin Feminine takes the stage, as I walk along and I listen and watch the Birds and love smelling the single red rose from the corner house on the way to the ocean.  My Yin then allows her Masculine Yang Thinker to come onto the stage - thinking about my dream from last night.  Of course Yang invites Yin to share the stage, feeling into the emotions of the Dream.  

Since I have opened up to this world of my Dreams I am gaining more insight to myself and my Journey.  I read another interesting part in 'Soulcraft' that "Jungian analyst Robert Johnson recommends we avoid understanding our Dreams in a way that flatters the ego.  The Dream maker, the Soul, wants us to help the ego mature and transform, which, as we have seen, often begins with the ego dying to its current worldview.  The Dream maker is not interested in congratulating the ego, but rather in suggesting where it might be limited, wrong, confused, mistaken - that is, where it has opportunities for initiation into a larger story, a larger life."  WOW - I love this - there is still so much to learn and so many opportunities for growth.  There were a few aspects in my Dream that spoke to me this morning - one part was where there were two little girls and I was telling one of the girls to dance, that she should always dance, that dancing is so great.  In recalling this part of the Dream I had a sense that just because I love to dance, does not mean everyone likes to dance and it is not up to me to tell others what to do.  And that's what I do love about Coaching - it is not about giving advice or direction - it is about allowing the space for a Client to get in touch with their own answers within.  Perhaps my Dream is just a reminder to me, and this helps take away the pressure of needing to know or feeling I have to know.

I love my Walk In Nature - by the time I reach the ocean, I have left the story of my Dream behind and I am now in the moment.  I feel Inspired to run up through the Park and enjoy being amongst the Trees.  I just love Gunnamatta Park.  As I walk through the Trees I have this sense of my Goddess Dance, swirling around in a long flowing skirt and just twirling in and around the Trees.  I love this feeling.

As I feel myself as the Goddess Dancing, I have a sense of my Child Yin running ahead of me, hiding behind the Trees, playing and giggling.  I have this Visual image in my mind's eye - it is an image of a photo of me as a Child.  My Child Yin leads me to the left hand side of the Park and I love seeing a Kookaburra laughing and singing - I love Kookaburras, my favourite of Birds.  

It is quite incredible having this sense of observing another Part of myself in my imagination.  I follow my Child Yin, following my Intuition and I find myself in front of another of my favourite Trees.  I love all the Trees in Gunnamatta Park, I have a sense of Belonging, of Protection, of being at Home here.  I love stopping and being in Connection with the Trees.  I put my hand on the heart of this Tree and I let go of my thoughts and relax and I have a sense of these words "It is not about doing, it is about being.  Yin and Yang are always there.  Take off the pressure, leave all pressure outside the door.  Welcome sacred space."  I also have a sense of mirrors being in my room to help others see the greatness in them, however not mirrors that would make someone self conscious.  I then have a sense of the words "Shake it off".  I say "Thank you my wise friend" to the Tree and as I walk away I "Shake it off" - shaking my legs and arms and moving about - just letting go of any pressure I am putting on myself as a Coach - I love this action - it reminds me of a dance we did at College which I loved, which is also offers the opportunity to let go.

As I walk back through the Park, I now have a sense of my Adolescent Yin just standing still.  I can feel her energy.  I don't feel her watching me - rather I am an Observer to her.  My Adolescent me is just standing there, trying to be perfect, wanting to look pretty, wanting to fit in, afraid to move.

In the feeling of my Goddess I watch her and realise how I feel so different to my Adolescent Yin - no longer needing to fit in or desperate to be liked - now I have given permission to myself to be me.  It is a wonderful feeling.

As I leave the Park I do a twirl, I feel alive, I bid my favourite place and Trees goodbye for today.

I have a sense that my Child Yin, my Adolescent and my Goddess are all within me and I am happy that I have had a chance to meet them and get to know them, recognise them.

For me I have such a strong knowing and I am so Grateful that I now have all these wonderful Strengths and Resources and Yin and Yang Parts within to draw on to help me on my life Journey.  The words that came to me when I was in Connection with the Tree really speak to me today - my second Session with my Client is tomorrow and yet I am feeling very relaxed and at peace.  I feel that I do not have to do anything - most important for me is to just be - to create and hold a sacred space with my Client.

I have this beautiful feeling, that in my Coaching, it is as though my Yin and Yang are in embrace, totally in the moment, totally present, quiet, enjoying a sunrise (such beauty).

My Yin and my Yang, my Self are a Witness to the sunrise - the beauty in my Client, the beauty of my Client's Journey.  My Yin and my Yang are there together to serve the Client - and they sit and listen and wait and wait.

And then my Yin Intuitive Part of me is open to my Spirit and may invite the Yin Feeling Part of me to express empathy or acknowledgement or my Yin may call on my Yang to pull out tools and techniques and exercises to help the Client, or my Yang may need to be direct in communication.  My Yin and Yang are there to serve me as a Coach, and as a Coach I am there to serve my Client.  I love feeling into the images of my Yin and Yang, bringing their images into my mind's eye.

Today on the way to work I realise that I am never totally in Yang or never totally in Yin - while out enjoying a Walk In Nature and feeling into my Intuition, it is common for my Yang Thinker to enter my mind - or when I am at work and I am in Yang, I cannot separate out my Yin - my Feeling, Creative, Intuitive Yin is always there, ready for Yang to take a break from work and notice the coloured painting on the wall.

While at work today, I love being in Conversations with my work colleagues, this is one of my favourite parts of my Monday-Wednesday job.  It is funny I never feel nervous or feel a need to prepare for Conversations in my daily life - as I do not know with whom I will share time and what the other person will say - I just love naturally being in the flow and in Connection with another.  And I realise that this is the reality of working with Clients - Coaching is just a series of Conversations with guidance and tools along the way.  I spend time reading my Client's notes and work on some ideas that may support my Client - and yet I remain open to the magic and the mystery - and I feel very comfortable being in this Space.

For me I look forward to just holding a sacred Space for my Client, for all my Clients.  I am here to Make A Difference.  I am here to Spread The Yellow. 

I am VERY Inspired by these quotes 

- "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Mother Teresa

- "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." Mother Teresa

- "If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Mother Teresa

- "Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light." Norman B. Rice

- "There are two ways of spreading light - to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." Edith Wharton, Vesalius in Zante

- "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier."  Mother Teresa

- "Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person." Mother Teresa


I AM FEELING VERY INSPIRED!!!!!!

Gifts In My Dreams

I am someone who very often remembers my Dreams and very often I have been someone who wishes I didn't remember my Dreams.  I have found that I often wake up more tired than what I would expect after sleeping 7 or 8 hours.  And yet I am recently learning that there could be Gifts In My Dreams.

Recently the Manager from the Bookstore, where I work from their Clinic Rooms, said that not paying attention to Dreams is like not opening a letter.  This metaphor makes sense for me.  Another friend had recently shared last year that she had been advised that Dreams can give insight into emotions being experienced in our waking world.  I also read in 'Soulcraft' that "Dreams are one of the foremost and universal ways the Soul speaks to the ego."

It is very interesting reading about this Inner Work in 'Soulcraft' - "In the subjective approach, we regard every part of the Dream as a part of the Dreamer, part of the Dreamer's psyche.  The elements of the Dream are not seen as corresponding to things from the dayworld; rather, we understand the Dream components as representing the Dreamer's sub-personalities, attitudes, feelings, wounds, rejected qualities, and hidden potentials.  The I in the Dream represents the ego, the way the Dreamer thinks about himself.  The Dream reveals the relationship between the ego and other elements of the psyche.  The Dream - and the Dreamwork on it - afford the opportunity to facilitate integration and wholeness within our psyches."

I read on - "Dream researchers have shown that the neurologically normal person has a Dream, remembered or not, every ninety minutes during a regular night's sleep.  Every hour and a half, we dip into a stream, a Great Underdream that is always flowing even when we are not having what we normally call 'a Dream'... Each night Dream represents our brief descent into the Great Underdream, a dipping of our toes into the Soulstream, a briefing on one or two points about the deeper life waiting and longing to be lived."

I love everything I read - I love that this is an area of work that can help me hear my Soul, receive the Gifts In My Dreams.  'Soulcraft' suggests that "You might do best to avoid those so-called Dream dictionaries and other books that purport to tell you what a Dream symbol means, as if each Dream element could be extracted  from its Dreamworld and have a fixed meaning independent of its relationship with the Dreamer and all other elements of the Dream.  Reserve such texts for party entertainment, but, for the gods' and goddesses' sakes, don't consult such books when you want to enter the interior of your Dreams."

The last two nights I have had interesting Dreams.  The other night there was a story and a drama and yet the underlying feeling for me, if I have to look for the Gifts In My Dreams, is a sense of trusting the unknown and also looking within for my own answers.  Then last night for me I have a Dream about an ex-lover and he is trying to reunite for passion, telling me that he wants to take me out to a very expensive restaurant and kept wanting me to give him an answer if I would go or not.  It is also interesting as I also remember a scene where I knock something over in a shop and all small stones fall on the ground.  And then it takes me to another scene where I am in conversation with this man and he tells me that he is involved with another woman and I say that she is a friend's sister - and I remember being disapproving of his actions.  I follow the guidance of 'Soulcraft' and say the Dream out aloud while I am driving to work.  I have a sense of not being impressed by wanting to be taken out to an expensive restaurant, that this is not important to me.  Perhaps there is a message of rejection, or no longer allowing myself to be rejected as I did not feel concern that this man was involved with someone else.  I am trying to work out if these characters represent my Sub-Personalities, Yin or Yang - perhaps there is a message of my Yin no longer feeling rejected.  I defininely feel my Dream speaks of my Values of Honesty and Authenticity.  In the scene where I knock something over, I have a feeling of not being stressed or worried - that it was just an accident, that I am just human.  I am especially happy that I do not feel any Connection or affection for this ex-lover - not even at the level of acquaintance - perhaps this is my Soul's way of communicating to me how much everything has changed - one year ago I would have felt sadness or temptation or a sense of desire - now there is a feeling of no emotion - a neutrality.  It is one year ago that I ended this relationship, that I took a stand, knowing that I deserved more - I took back my power.  Perhaps this Dream is another message of my Empowered Goddess.

I remember tonight that in my Dream I had a visual of my Brother and Father, just being there for me.  I wonder if these represent Sub-Personalities within myself, where I am being reminded that I do not need to always look outside myself for support - that there are different Yang Sub-Personalities that are always there for me.

I love that there is much to learn about Dreams - much to learn about how to work with Dreams - and definitely the opportunity to hear the whispers from my Soul, the Gifts In My Dreams.  Rather than go into analysis, there seems a lot of different ways to work with Dreams.  As I love Meditation, I love the idea in 'Soulcraft' of "You might journey back into the Dream through your deep imagination.  With or without assistance from an imaginery guide, first enter a deep state of relaxation.  Then, in your imagination, go back into your Dream and relieve it, lingering as long as you can in that world and experiencing it as fully as possible.  Allow that particular Dreamworld to take you where it will.  While there, you can also interact with the Dream characters, getting to know them, not trying to change who or what they are." 

"Or you might ask their permission to merge with them and be them for a while.  You might, as another method, enter into dialogues between two or more Dream characters (including the character that is you, the Dream ego), taking the place of one and then the other.  Do this in your imagery, or with your eyes open and body engaged (with or without the help of a Dream guide or friend), or in written dialogues in your Journal.  Stay true to the way the characters are in the Dream, their attitudes, desires, feelings, agendas, and personalities.  Keep in mind, with a Soulcentric approach to Dreams, that you never want to rewrite the script, to change the action for ego comfort or to give the Dream a 'happy ending'.  These methods permit you to get inside the Dream, to crawl into the skin of different Dream characters and discover the conflicts, potentials, and desires - yours - embodied in those beings.  You can do this not only with the people in the Dream but also with the Dream's animals, trees, rivers, mountains, clouds, houses, cars, situations, emotions, sounds, speech, and even qualities such as colours or size."

WOW - there is so much to learn about this area of Dreamwork and so many insights I can gain from my own Dreams.  I feel Excited and Inspired.  I am looking forward to paying more attention to my Dreams, listening to my Soul, accepting and appreciating the Gifts In My Dreams.

I now welcome my Dreams and invite Spirit and my Soul to reveal more to me.  I will now take some more time to pay attention to my Dreams - perhaps write details in my Journal - perhaps there is the opportunity to work with my Dreams when meeting with my Coach.  I welcome every opportunity for Self-Development and Growth - I welcome every opportunity to be in touch with messages from my Soul... I welcome this guidance to help me on my Journey...

I always welcome guidance to help me on my Journey.  This morning while I was out walking, I was guided towards one of the Trees that I love at Gunnamatta Bay.  I felt Inspired to put my hand on the heart of the Tree and I instantly had a sense of the words "See life" as I saw a bird in a nearby bush.  I then became a bit hesitant when I heard someone walking near me - my Thinker came out - "what would she think, my eyes closed, hand on the Tree" - and then I heard a whisper "Stay still, stay true to you".  I also then had a sense of the words "Listen to your inner voice, it is always there".  I say "Thank you my friend".  I love Trees.  As I walk home and I am so cold, I am thinking I am so cold, I hear the words "Feel warmth within" - and when I focus on my core, I feel different, I feel less cold, I have stopped thinking of how cold I am. 

I love that there is always so much to learn and enjoy...